The historic heatwave we've been experiencing for days peaked this Friday in the southern interior of the country. Of note are the 39.5 °C recorded in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre). This is the highest maximum ever reached in a May in all of Catalonia, shattering the absolute record in force until now: the 38 °C registered in May 2022 in Castellbisbal (Vallès Occidental) and Anglès (Selva). This historic data joins the large number of records that have fallen between Thursday and Friday throughout the country (you will find the most outstanding data from this historic heatwave at the end of this information).

Europe is experiencing an exceptional heat episode these days for a month of May, with values between 10 and 15 degrees above average. The temperatures, more typical of the summer heatwave, have sent thermometers soaring above 35 °C in several countries on the continent, from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Europe, as well as in southern countries, the United Kingdom, and the Balkans. Numerous regions are on alert for extraordinarily high temperatures. In fact, in recent hours, the government of Italy has activated the national climate alert system, raising it to the maximum risk level for highs of up to 35 °C in cities such as Rome, Bologna, Brescia, Florence, and Turin, and some regions have restricted outdoor work during the hours of maximum insolation to protect workers.

The thermometers have taken a new step forward in recent hours. We wake up after a night that has registered more tropical lows, especially on the central coast, highlighting the extraordinary 23.4 ºC low at the Fabra observatory. But a separate case is the north of Alt Empordà, where due to the reheated tramuntana wind, torrid lows have been locally recorded, with values above 25 ºC. The 28 ºC low in Portbou stands out, a record for nocturnal heat in a May in Catalonia.

The mass of warm air over the Iberian Peninsula and all of Western Europe has for days been leaving us with an atmosphere more typical of early July than May, with heat records in Spain, France or the United Kingdom. An exceptional episode that gives no respite, and in the coming days will reach its peak, with a warm peak that will leave values approaching 38 °C in Ponent and will transport us directly to the summer heatwave. In some cases there will be values more than 10 degrees above average. All this, moreover, with many hours of very intense sun that will only be disturbed by the presence of some harmless afternoon clouds in the Pyrenees. At the end of this information you will find a summary of this heatwave and a comparison with the usual temperature at the end of May, far from current records.

Catalonia reached or exceeded 35 °C yesterday for the first time this year, and even 36 °C was recorded in very localized areas, with 36.1 °C standing out in Seròs (Segrià). Several municipalities in Ponent and the southern interior surpassed this mark of 35 °C, such as Torroja del Priorat, Albesa (Noguera) or Alcarràs, Alfarràs and Gimenells (Segrià). A premature heatwave that has caused, once again, the full summer atmosphere to arrive several weeks early. A weekend with a fully summery atmosphere awaits us, with highs around 35 °C in the warmest areas of the country and the first tropical nights. On the coast, the mercury will be clearly more restrained, and some fog or low clouds will appear, but it will be more muggy.

The heat has taken a leap forward in recent hours, with generally very warm conditions. Yesterday, temperatures exceeded 30 ºC in more inland regions, especially in Ponent and the Ebre interior. Notably, Alcarràs (Segrià) reached 34.4 ºC, and municipalities like Vilanova de Segrià and Seròs (Segrià) or Tàrrega (Urgell) hit 34 ºC. These are the highest values of the year so far. Temperatures that will rise a little more today, with a warm peak that will extend beyond the weekend. We can expect full summer days, with a premature heatwave completely out of place for May, when there is still a month to go until the official arrival of astronomical summer.

Temperatures continue to rise non-stop. Today we wake up to more moderate coolness, after yesterday's temperatures already exceeded 30 °C in more parts of Ponent and the Ebro interior. Thermometers that will climb even higher this Thursday and will peak between Friday and the weekend, with values between 5 and 10 degrees above the average for the time of year in many cases. A full summer atmosphere awaits us, with very advanced heat, which in recent years is starting to become common. Many highs are expected between 27 and 33 °C on the pre-coast and inland, especially from Friday onwards, but up to 35 °C or locally more in Ponent and the Ebro valley. We will have to sweat profusely and suddenly retrieve all the summer clothes from the back of the closet. The mercury will be more held back on the coast due to the effect of a still cold sea. A mass of warm air will combine with the anticyclone, with calm and sun in general.

A small cold air trough at high altitude will finish crossing our latitudes during the early hours and morning of this Monday, with instability and new irregular showers and storms in various regions. During the morning, downpours will fall in parts of the northern third and the coast and pre-coast, which will extend to more areas in the afternoon. Thunderstorms have occurred in recent hours, especially in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and northeast regions, with more abundant amounts in Berguedà, northern Osona, or Ripollès, where 10 to 20 l/m² have accumulated in a few minutes. Highlights include the 32 l/m² that fell yesterday in Orís, 28 in Montesquiu, or 22 in Cantonigròs. But this instability will not have much continuity, as throughout the week anticyclonic calm and sun will gradually impose themselves, with increasing heat after the significant cooling of recent days.

The passage of a polar front has caused a significant cooling, with an atmosphere more typical of March than May. Temperatures have been between 3 and 8 degrees below the average for the season, and snow has fallen in the Pyrenees below 1,400 m, leaving wintery, postcard-like landscapes at medium and high altitudes. In Montseny, snow was also anecdotally observed at the highest elevations. Yesterday, showers and storms intensified in the afternoon in the center and north of the country. Locally they were strong and accompanied by hail, short-lived, and accumulated little water: most left between 2 and 8 l/m². Even so, in some cases these figures were exceeded: 18 l/m² at Lac Redon (2,245 m, Vall d'Aran) or 12 at Santa Coloma de Farners (Selva) stand out.

The weather continues to be unsettled, and this Friday a polar front will arrive, which will accentuate instability and cause temperatures to hit rock bottom, with a very cool atmosphere, more typical of early spring than mid-May. Thermometers will be between 3 and 8 degrees below the average for the season, with the vast majority of maximums below 20 ºC. A drop that will contrast with the 25 ºC reached today on the Barcelona coast and the Costa Dorada due to the reheated wind from between mistral and west. There will also be a late snowfall in the Pyrenees, with a snowline that will drop below 1,500 m.

We are already halfway through May, but the atmosphere on Thursday and especially on Friday will be more typical of early spring than of these dates. We continue immersed in a corridor of polar north winds that, in addition to bringing freshness, maintains pronounced instability. On Thursday, rain is expected in the northeast and the Pyrenees, and on Friday a new front will bring more showers and storms and cause temperatures to hit rock bottom, with values between 3 and 8 degrees below average. Too much coolness for the time of year, which will persist over the weekend, although with fewer showers. However, next week thermometers will start to rise again. All this after the showers were more local and concentrated in the northeast and the Pyrenees this Wednesday, with 7 l/m² falling in the city of Girona and 3 in Vall d'en Bas (Garrotxa) standing out. In any case, nothing to do with the strong storms, hailstorms and hail from Tuesday in many regions (you will find the most outstanding data and images from Tuesday's episode at the end of this information).

Instability flared up again yesterday, with a new round of showers and strong, irregular afternoon storms in many areas. In some cases, there were real downpours accompanied by hail or small hailstones (you will find the most notable images and data from this episode at the end of this information). The weather will remain unsettled in the coming days. Both Wednesday and Thursday will see a lot of cloudiness in the northeast and on the north face of the Pyrenees, with showers falling in these areas. On the other hand, there will be more sun in the south and in the west, where the mistral wind will be blowing. What we will notice most in the coming days will be the drop in temperatures. A clear cooling that will bottom out between Friday and the weekend, with values clearly below average and more typical of late March or early April than mid-May. The snowline may drop to 1,500 m or below from Friday in the Pyrenees. All of this will be the result of the anticyclonic block in the Atlantic area, which will facilitate the arrival of low-pressure systems and cold air of polar origin to Central Europe and our Mediterranean region.

Today instability will clearly increase again. The low pressure system from the western Iberian Peninsula will send us a new unstable line that, along with cold air at high altitudes, will cause a new series of irregular showers and storms that could occur in practically any location during the afternoon – also on the coast –, locally with intensity and hail. Civil Protection has activated the Inuncat plan alert for this episode. And in the coming days, showers will be repeated in various regions, especially in the northeast and the Pyrenees. Temperatures will begin to drop, and by mid-week the cooling will be noticeable, with values below what would be expected for this time of year. All this after yesterday the week started with much calm and sun in most regions, with only afternoon showers concentrated in the Pyrenees and in the north of the Girona regions. Maximum temperatures peaked and ranged between 22 and 27 ºC in most cases.

The last precedents of strong or very strong El Niño episodes left worrying data that were exacerbated by the influence of global warming. The super El Niño of 2015-2016 was the most powerful on record, with an oceanic warming index of more than 2.5 ºC. An extraordinary fact that contributed to 2016 being the warmest year recorded worldwide up to then.

The world is looking towards the Pacific with unease. Forecasts from major international climate agencies warn of the probable formation of what has popularly been dubbed a super-Niño over the coming months in this area of the planet. An episode of the El Niño phenomenon much more intense than usual, capable of shaking global climate. Its consequences could range from extreme droughts to torrential rains in different parts of the planet, but above all due to a clear and general rise in temperatures.