Heat further under control and new downpours in the first week of June

The last few days have been marked by extraordinary midsummer heat, breaking some records, while severe storms also made the news over the weekend, causing numerous hailstones and hailstorms (you'll find all the details at the end of this article). This first week of June and the meteorological summer will bring changes in the weather. The arrival of more cold air at altitude will cause temperatures to drop and the heat to become much more moderate, and atmospheric instability will increase, with the growth of dark clouds and showers that will continue to gain ground.

Monday: less heat and scattered showers

The start of the week will be marked by increasing cloudiness, which will leave a partly cloudy or overcast sky in many regions during the morning and will continue with some intermittent showers in the north and west of the country, initially relatively minor. Minimum temperatures have remained quite high, and the mercury will drop at midday, with a less warm atmosphere than in previous days and no longer exceeding 33 or 34°C inland. The drop will be very marked inland and in the Pyrenees, but the change will be virtually unnoticeable along the coast (except on the Costa Brava).

During the afternoon, the sun will gain ground further south and along the coast, but new clouds will develop, bringing showers and thunderstorms to the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, nearby areas, and the west. The most significant storms will reach from Huesca to the western Pyrenees. In fact, rainfall could reach more than 30 or 40 l/m² in regions such as Alta Ribagorça and Pallars Sobirà. Meteocat has issued heavy rain alerts in several regions.

Tuesday: more sunny spells

Tuesday will be a relatively calm day across much of the country, with more sunny spells along the coast and in the eastern half. Temperatures will temporarily stabilize, although the minimum temperature will drop slightly.

Record-breaking heat and severe storms

Temperatures soared and reached a very warm peak on Friday, with many highs of 30 to 35°C. Some coastal areas even reached over 30°C, a rare occurrence in May. However, the mercury soared the most in Ponent and inland Ebro, with temperatures between 36 and 37°C and several heat records. Of note were the 37.5°C in Alcarràs (Segrià)—the highest maximum recorded in May in this municipality with more than 20 years of data—the 37.4°C in Torres de Segre, and the 36.8°C in the Ribarroja reservoir (a record). Record temperatures were also set at sea, specifically in l'Estartit (Baix Empordà), where local observer Josep Pascual reported that sea water temperatures reached 20.8°C on Friday, the highest figure recorded for a month of May in half a century of records.

In addition to the heat, severe storms also made the news over the weekend. During the afternoon and evening of Saturday, heavy showers fell in some areas, sometimes accompanied by hail or stones. Of note were the 25 l/m² in Guardiola de Berguedà, the 16 in Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Ripollès), and the 14 in the Sanctuary of Queralt (Berguedà). On Sunday, storms returned to the northern half, accumulating 30 l/m² in Olot (Garrotxa) and 27 in Molló (Ripollès), leaving large hailstones in some cases. The hailstorm in Santa Pau (Garrotxa) was particularly notable, and could be historic, as stones measuring 5 centimeters in diameter were recorded.