After the intense heat of recent days and experiencing the warmest spring since records began, the astronomical summer will officially begin this Sunday at 10:24 AM, even though it seems to have set in weeks ago. And it will arrive in grand style, as the first heatwave of the year will also kick off. The anticyclone and the gust of warm air from North Africa will strengthen, driven by southerly winds that will cause a low-pressure system located in the Atlantic.

The heat was again very intense and full of heatstroke this Friday, with maximums around 37°C in Ponent. And attention because this weekend the thermometers will not stop rising. The atmosphere will be especially torrid from Sunday, when the first heatwave of the year will begin in our country, with extreme temperatures throughout the country for at least three consecutive days, both day and night. We expect suffocating days, with up to 40°C or more inland, and quite widespread sleepless nights. Meteocat has already issued the first official warnings for intense daytime heat in Ponent on Sunday and which will extend to many more regions on Monday. For its part, Civil Protection has activated the Procicat plan alert.

The heat has continued to be very intense and fully summer-like in recent hours. But the mercury did not spike as much yesterday as on Wednesday inland, when temperatures exceeded 38 ºC in Ponent and the Ebro. Today there will be few changes, but from the weekend onwards temperatures will spike again. The anticyclone and the gust of very warm air from North Africa will strengthen and fully embrace the Iberian Peninsula and a large part of Europe, with extreme heat, especially in the west of the continent, where suffocating conditions are expected and we will see if there are any heat records in a month of June. In Catalonia, all this will result in a heatwave that will last at least until Saint John's Eve, with maximums of up to 40 ºC or more inland and tropical or torrid nights in many regions. Meteocat maintains the heatwave alert between Sunday and Tuesday, especially in the interior of the country.

Far from ending, the heatwave we are experiencing in Catalonia has intensified in recent hours, with temperatures yesterday reaching over 38°C in the Ebre interior and Ponent – notably 38.7°C in the city of Lleida itself – and 35°C in other inland areas. After such a scorching day, today the mercury will recede slightly temporarily, although the atmosphere will remain very warm. But all eyes are on the weekend, when the heat will be more extreme and the first heatwave of the summer in our region will very likely begin. An episode that will last at least until Sant Joan, with many highs of 35 to 40°C. Meteocat has already issued a prior warning in this regard for intense heat between Sunday and at least Tuesday, especially in the inland counties.

Catalonia is advancing unstoppably towards an increasingly warm and dry climate. 2025 has been the fourth consecutive year with an annual temperature of more than 2°C above the average of the pre-industrial period (1850-1900). Therefore, since 2022, temperatures have soared like never before. And they have been exceptionally warm. These last four years mark the path towards the worst predictions of the impact of the climate crisis and global warming in our country.

The heatwave gives no respite and in these last hours it has intensified a little more. Yesterday, maximum temperatures widely exceeded 35°C in Ponent and in the south. Notably, 37.5°C were reached in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre) and 37.4°C in Seròs (Segrià). But locally, 37°C were also recorded in some other inland locations, such as Artés (Bages). Today we will add a few more degrees, and in the coming days temperatures will remain very high for the season, with values more typical of the summer dog days than mid-June, and tropical nights will occur in coastal areas. In fact, it is probable that from the end of the week the first heatwave of summer will arrive in Catalonia, with extreme heat that will push the mercury up to 40°C for the first time this year in the hottest inland areas. Meteocat has already issued a prior warning in this regard for intense heat between Sunday and at least Tuesday.

We have started the week with a very warm climate again for the time of year everywhere. Yesterday's highs exceeded 30°C in many cases, and 35°C towards the west and the Ebro valley. And last night, tropical lows were recorded, especially in the Barcelona area, with lows not dropping below 24°C, for example in Raval or at the Fabra observatory. A heatwave that will not let up in the coming days, as it will continue and even intensify throughout the week. By mid or late week, temperatures could reach 39°C or 40°C in the hottest areas of the west of the country. As can be seen in the following map, temperatures at about 1,500 meters altitude will reach nearly 25°C, a value more typical of the warmest days of the year.

With the arrival of summer, forests and agricultural lands across the country are threatened by high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation, but also by human activity, which is the main cause of fires in Catalonia, whether by accident or negligence or by intentional acts. Experts and authorities warn that the country has fully entered the high fire risk season and, in fact, this weekend, several simultaneous fires in the natural environment in Lleida have strained emergency services. At present, the Government has activated level 3 out of 4 – very high fire danger – in about fifty municipalities in Ponent and Central Catalonia, and on the eve of Sant Joan's Eve, the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, has asked the public for "maximum caution" when setting off fireworks – they must be at least 500 meters away from forests and natural surroundings – and when lighting bonfires.

A new pocket of warm air from North Africa will keep the atmosphere fully summer-like throughout this new week, after highs of 36 or 37 ºC were already reached this weekend in Ponent and the southern interior. This hot air will lower atmospheric pressure and generate a small thermal low that will favor the formation of afternoon thunderstorms, especially in the Pyrenees. In fact, some already reappeared yesterday, accumulating up to 25 l/m² in La Bonaigua (2,200 m, Pallars Sobirà), 15 l/m² in Puigcerdà (Cerdanya), and 3 l/m² in Núria (Ripollès).

Temperatures took a leap forward yesterday and, after a still quite cool and jersey-wearing morning, the heat shot up at midday and became summery, with highs exceeding 30 °C inland, and reaching 35 °C in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre). Thermometers will climb even higher this weekend, with a full summer atmosphere and values clearly higher than what is appropriate for this time of year.

Instability has remained slightly active in recent hours, with variability in the sky and some scattered drops or showers that have by no means affected the whole country. Yesterday morning they fell in some regions, and this morning some have fallen that may repeat in areas of the eastern half until mid-morning. Very little all in all. Changes that have caused temperatures to drop, keeping the heat at bay and moderate, with considerable morning coolness. But this slight cooling will not continue in the coming days. The anticyclone will embrace us and a mass of warm air from North Africa will also approach. This will cause calm and radiant sun to dominate the rest of the week without palliative care. But above all, what we will notice is that temperatures will skyrocket, especially at the weekend, when the heat will once again be fully summery with values clearly above the usual for mid-June. 35°C will be widely exceeded in Ponent and Ebre.

The warm and summery peak we experienced yesterday will not continue, as temperatures will start to drop from today. The center of the anticyclone remains far from our home – located in the Azores – and this will allow a weakened cold front to cross us this Tuesday, which will primarily open the doors to the north wind and cause a drop in the mercury. Thermometers will fully normalize on Wednesday, with very breathable air and cooler nights. The second half of the week will again be warmer and more summery, but with no extremes in sight. All this with a slight temporary increase in instability. Between yesterday afternoon and this morning, some showers have fallen in the north and west of the country, leaving up to 20 l/m² in Molló (Ripollès), between 5 and 10 l/m² in Alt Pirineu, or 5 l/m² in Torres de Segre. Today some will repeat in these areas, especially in the north. Regarding the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Catalonia, rain in principle should not make an appearance at the scheduled events. Only drizzles or some local and fleeting shower can escape in the early morning and morning of Wednesday at any point.

We leave behind a weekend marked by calm weather, with a lot of stability and a sun that has gradually been imposing itself. This anticyclonic dynamic, typical of this time of year, will continue during the coming days, although afternoon showers will also continue in some regions of the northern half. The temperature will rise today after a weekend that has not been particularly warm. Thermometers will experience a brief peak this Monday, with maximums reaching 33 or 34°C in parts of Ponent and the interior of the Ebre. For now, however, there is no significant heatwave in sight, and it seems that the heat we had at the end of May will not visit us again, at least, until the second half of June. We expect a thermal roller coaster week, as from tomorrow the mercury will deflate again.

The cooling was strong this Friday after the active front that crossed Catalan territory on Thursday. Maximums remained between 20 and 25º C, or slightly higher in parts of Ponent, the Ebre, and Central Catalonia, a situation that will repeat during the first weekend of June. Nevertheless, some afternoon showers will still fall in some areas, especially on Saturday. Temperatures will rise, with warmer weather at midday. But the heat will remain moderate, with comfortable nights.

Global warming is advancing and temperatures continue to rise relentlessly. This spring has been no exception. In fact, Catalonia has experienced the warmest spring since records began, according to data from the seasonal climate bulletin published by the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat). This report covers the three months of meteorological spring – March, May, and June – even though astronomical summer will not officially arrive until June 21.

The change in weather that arrived yesterday has left an extensive spell of showers and strong storms in many regions in recent hours. The rain started on Thursday at midday, mainly in the Pyrenees, and gained ground. Since then and until this morning, thunder and showers have swept through a large part of the country, also reaching the entire coast, and in several cases, there have been true downpours that have left a lot of water in a short time. Only areas of Ponent and Ebre have remained on the sidelines of this episode. The most rainfall has been in the eastern Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees, especially in Ripollès, northern Osona, and Berguedà, where total accumulations have been very significant and have caused various incidents and the sudden rise in the flow of rivers such as the Ter or Llobregat. More than 100 l/m² registered in some municipalities stand out, such as Campdevànol (Ripollès). Also accumulated were 90 l/m² in Sant Joan de les Abadesses and 75 in Sant Pau de Segúries (Ripollès), 90 in Montesquiu (Osona), or 73 at the Santuari de Queralt (Berguedà). Rain that has marred events like La Patum or Primavera Sound, while in the early morning hours a local downpour also left more than 50 l/m² in Les Cases d'Alcanar (Montsià).

The calm and sunny weather of Wednesday will not continue, as today the meteorological situation will become considerably complicated. The passage of an active front will reactivate instability, with a spell of showers and thunderstorms that between this afternoon and Friday morning will sweep across a large part of the country from northwest to southeast, also reaching a large part of the coast. During the morning there will be more clouds, with a more variable or partly cloudy sky. But beyond some initial drizzle, rain is not yet expected. It will be from midday when this episode will start from the Pyrenees and other mountainous areas, such as the pre-coastal range, and the rain will spread rapidly.