Spain Braces for Rare Total Solar Eclipse as Crowds Flock to Rural “Empty Spain”

Spaniards rushed to buy specialised eclipse glasses on Wednesday as a rare total solar eclipse swept across northern and central Spain, drawing huge crowds to rural regions and prompting urgent warnings from authorities about wildfire risks.

The celestial event began around sunset, when the sun, moon and Earth aligned to plunge parts of the Iberian Peninsula along with slivers of Greenland and Iceland into brief darkness. Totality lasted less than two and a half minutes, but anticipation has been building for months, with Spain offering some of mainland Europe’s clearest views of the spectacle.

The eclipse arrives amid scorching summer temperatures and ongoing wildfires, pushing officials to roll out a nationwide safety campaign. Spanish authorities estimate the event could attract at least half a million additional visitors, sending demand for hotel rooms soaring in cities along the path of totality, including A Coruña, Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela.

In Medinaceli, a Roman‑era hilltop town in northeast Spain, skywatchers claimed grassy viewing spots hours ahead of time, filling restaurants and bars in the main square. “It must be thrilling to see the darkness come suddenly and the image of the sun disappearing,” said Agatha Bak, a 40‑year‑old philosophy professor who left Madrid at sunrise with friends to witness the event.

The eclipse reached its longest duration off Iceland’s west coast before sweeping over Portugal and Spain, where totality dwindled to just over a minute. The spectacle ended over the Mediterranean shortly afterward.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said 350 official viewing sites had been set up across the country’s sparsely populated interior often referred to as “Empty Spain.” Access to another 123 sites was restricted due to environmental risks or evacuation challenges in the event of a wildfire. In neighbouring Henan province, authorities issued a red flash‑flood alert as the storm’s moisture pushed northward, and even Beijing, more than 1,000 km away, prepared for heavy rainfall.

Japan is also on alert, with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning that Typhoon Chan‑hom could sweep across the mainland, bringing landslides, flooding and strong winds.