Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

This is the moment citizens enjoying their one-hour permitted exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown are forced to take cover from the strong winds that battered the northern Spanish coast.

The strong, sudden winds, known locally as a ‘galerna’, affected the northern Spanish region of Basque Country and videos have been widely shared on social media.

According to local media, the strong winds were accompanied by high spring temperatures, reaching 34.1 degrees Celsius in some areas, before being met by a sudden cold front.

In the footage, dozens of cyclists and walkers, enjoying their one-hour exercise during the first phase of lifting lockdown measures, are seen sitting on the ground while waiting for the wind battering the coast to subside.

The video was filmed on the road to Sopela in Azkorri in the province of Biscay in the Basque Country and 96kph (60 mph) winds were reported.

Another video shows a felled tree in the centre of Bilbao, also in the Basque Country.

According to reports, the State Meteorological Agency forecast strong winds and high temperatures for that day which were met by the sudden arrival of a cold front that caused the ‘galerna’ phenomenon.

The winds particularly affect areas around the Cantabrian Sea and Bay of Biscay, especially in spring and in autumn.

No injuries have been reported.