A weekend kicks off that will be marked by completely spring-like ingredients. Mornings will be calm overall, but in the afternoons, clouds will grow, leaving irregular showers and storms in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and nearby areas. In fact, these downpours will gain extent and strength, and especially on Sunday, they may reach more areas of the northeast and the north of Central Catalonia. Locally, there will be some water spouts accompanied by hail or sleet, so caution will be needed if we are in these areas on the weekend, especially if we have planned high mountain activities. Temperatures will rise and the atmosphere will be warmer, especially on Sunday. All this after a Friday that has already given us many highs from 21 to 26 ºC and some minor showers in the Pyrenees.

Temperatures have clearly dropped this Sant Jordi, with a markedly less warm atmosphere and most highs between 20 and 25 °C, far from the more than 30 °C reached in Ponent and the Ebro in recent days. A decrease that has been caused by the strengthening of cooler maritime wind from the east and north-east, which has been strongly felt on the coast, with gusts that have locally exceeded 50 km/h and waves between 1 and 2.5 meters high in some cases. The sun has dominated in most regions, but some afternoon showers have also repeated in the Pyrenees, in the Alt Maresme and the Montseny area, although less significant and extensive than in previous days. These spring showers will repeat on Friday and the weekend in mountainous areas, while in most of the country, sun and calm will continue to dominate. The atmosphere will become warmer again in the coming midday hours.

After a week marked by afternoon downpours and storms with hail and sleet in some regions, this Sant Jordi the weather will not be clear. It will be a pleasant and quite sunny day in most of the country to enjoy the book and rose stalls outdoors, but there will be exceptions. In the morning, some drizzles may occur in the northeast and in the Ebro, and in the afternoon some irregular downpours and storms will be repeated in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees. All this with a clear drop in temperatures due to the entry of cooler northwesterly winds. A decrease that will be particularly noticeable in the interior and will make the heat much more contained in the middle of the day. All this after storms were repeated this Wednesday, especially in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, in the northeast and in the Ebro, while a warm peak was experienced, with maximums of up to 31 or 32 °C in the west and in the interior of the Ebro, highlighting the 32.2 ºC reached in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre).

Afternoon storms have lost extent this Tuesday and have concentrated mainly in parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, where some downpours with hail or sleet have recurred. The heavy hailstorm in Ribes de Freser (Ripollès) stands out, where the accumulated ice thickness has been significant, hindering mobility in the municipality and leaving a completely white landscape. Locally, 20 or 30 l/m² have been exceeded, with the more than 30 that fell in Gisclareny (Berguedà) being noteworthy, and showers will still fall in the north of the country until early evening. All this after the heavy downpours on Monday left an exceptional hailstorm for this time of year in Osona, with stones between 2 and 3 cm in diameter in some cases. Although not a size record, it is the earliest hailstorm with the largest amount of large stones recorded in Catalonia (you will find more details at the end of this information). This is not at all normal outside the usual hailstorm season, which runs from June to September.

We have started the week with new showers and afternoon storms that have gained strength and extent. Yesterday they affected quite a few regions, especially in the Pyrenees, the Pre-Pyrenees, the northeast, other areas of the northern half and the Terres de l'Ebre. Some downpours were strong and left between 15 and 30 l/m² or more in the north of the country in a short time, with some hail and sleet. A typically spring situation with calm mornings and afternoon showers in some areas that will continue in the coming days, although the precipitation will clearly lose extent and will be concentrated more towards the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees.

The presence of a bit of cold air at altitude and a slight drop in atmospheric pressure have made daytime clouds grow with enthusiasm in mountainous areas this weekend, with showers and storms that have intensified and will reappear on the afternoons of this new week. All this after yesterday's showers and storms - some of them of a certain intensity - mainly affected points in the northern half and left up to 38 l/m² in Cadí Nord, 21 in La Seu d'Urgell (Alt Urgell) or 20 in Molló (Ripollès). The downpours even reached - much weaker and more worn out - points on the coast and pre-coast of Girona and Barcelona. And this situation will extend for more days, also for Sant Jordi, with high temperatures for the season and increasing dust in suspension. Meteocat maintains an alert for intense rain in some counties:

We have looked at how immigrants are distributed in Catalonia, with data by counties, municipalities, and census districts, to see if there are areas at risk of segregation.

It's not just the sun and the beach. Nor the gastronomy. Nor Gaudí. Barcelona is now also showing its magnetism to representatives of world progressivism. Pedro Sánchez has summoned them, and one cannot deny him either cunning or the gift of timing, making the aura of an international anti-Trump leader eclipse his domestic version, which is much grayer and more questioned. If the game board is the world, I am with Sánchez and against Trump, for the record. I am with him completely (the choice is not that difficult). But the view from within is different. Sánchez reminds me of Gorbachev during perestroika, acclaimed in the West, unpopular in Russia. Sánchez can play with better cards than old Gorby, who managed a ruined empire; but he has justice breathing down his neck, and the PP-Vox duo lurking him in the polls. It is understandable that he prefers to exploit his statesman profile. With what ease he acts as spokesman for world pacifism, and installs himself on the “right side of History” with Xi Jinping (Thursday) and Lula (Friday). Meanwhile, in the domestic sphere, the right grows on the shoulders of the ultras, the true left becomes smaller and smaller, despite Rufián's efforts, and the center does not exist. A Russian roulette scenario.If nothing else, the Catalan issue (which occupied the headlines last decade) is no longer causing problems. The proof: This weekend of progressive tourism in Barcelona. Because Barcelona, like Catalonia, has outsourced the management of its brand and its role in the world. The Spanish government now takes care of it, while Illa and Collboni act as cheerleaders. For Sánchez, being seen in Barcelona is very useful, not only to show that we have returned to the fold, but also because ours is a much more left-wing city than Madrid (and than Spain as a whole). Barcelona is the great refuge of the PSOE, which appropriates it, uproots it, isolates it from its hinterland, and turns it into an alternative capital. Of Spain, of course. A more plural Spain than that of the PP? Undoubtedly! But let's not kid ourselves: This weekend's spectacle is designed from Madrid to project the PSOE's Spain around the world. Primarily from the Latin American world. This is why all these summits use Spanish orally and in writing, ignoring the native language and the lingua franca. Barcelona, needless to say, looks divine, but it is only a backdrop. And the Generalitat, a silent guest. Did you know, by the way, that the Generalitat has a Ministry of Foreign Relations?Readers of a certain age may recall, although it may seem incredible now, when King Juan Carlos I entered the Olympic stadium to inaugurate the 1992 Games while Els segadors was playing over the loudspeakers. Internal balancing acts were being performed in those days. Olympic diplomacy emerged from a creative tension between the city council and the governments. Independence was an abstraction, almost like now, but we were playing at appearing to be a country, and Barcelona could act as the capital of Catalonia, and the capital of the Catalan language, because for many of us it was much more than a backdrop. This weekend, Catalans find themselves at the epicenter of world politics, but we have been reserved the role of butlers and ushers.I imagine that to the more cosmopolitan readers this kind of complaint will seem unbearably provincial. I apologize. With a final plea: Next week, let us at least enjoy Sant Jordi in peace. We already know that all over the world April 23rd is Book Day, plain and simple. But it turns out that in Catalonia – only in Catalonia – we call this day Sant Jordi, and it is also the day when Barcelona and Catalonia, hand in hand, project themselves to the world. It is only one day; we will see to it that it passes quickly.

We are starting a weekend that will be marked by heat more typical of late spring than mid-April, with highs around 30 °C between Poniente and the Ebro interior. In fact, this figure was already reached locally yesterday in these areas. Temperatures will be above the usual average for this time of year, but changes in the weather are coming. The presence of a bit of cold air at altitude will cause daytime clouds to grow more energetically in mountainous areas, and afternoon showers and thunderstorms will increase. They will fall today in parts of the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and the Els Ports area, and from Sunday onwards they will increase in these areas and nearby zones. A typically spring situation of contrasts that will continue next week.

In the final stretch of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM), the cornerstone of the Next Generation European funds created to overcome the consequences of the 2020 pandemic, Catalonia leads the distribution of these resources, with a total of 3,700 million euros and a "cross-cutting" sectoral dominance, according to a study by EsadeEcPol. From the start of this program until today and four months before the end of the program (it ends in August), projects have been launched in Spain for 90,718 million and a total of 63,403 million have been awarded.

Anticyclonic calm has taken over our home, with radiant sunshine everywhere and temperatures that are rising. This morning it was still quite cold, but the day was warmer, with highs already exceeding 25 or 26 ºC in parts of Ponent, the Ebro interior, Priorat, and in some corner of the northeast interior. In fact, the heat will be climbing in the coming days, and we will end the week with many highs around or above 25 °C in the interior, and it may even locally touch or reach 30 °C in the Lleida plain and the Ebro valley. Values clearly above average, although in principle not as extreme as last week. Starting Friday and especially over the weekend, afternoon spring showers will reappear in mountainous areas.

Calm has completely settled in and this Tuesday has been a placid and sunny day with practically no exceptions. After a cold morning in which the minimums hit rock bottom, the maximums clearly recovered, and midday was milder or warmer than in recent days. The 25 ºC reached in some municipalities of the Ebro, such as Benissanet and Aldover, stand out. An anticyclonic and warmer dynamic that will increase in the coming days, with weather to take advantage of. It will be from Friday and the weekend when instability will slightly increase, which will cause the reappearance of typical spring afternoon showers in some areas, especially in the mountains.

The cold front that crossed us this Sunday did so accompanied by a thermal drop that has been noticed everywhere and that, in some cases, has sent the mercury plummeting. This is the case of Lleida, where the 9.5 ºC on Sunday midday contrasts with the 25 ºC on Saturday at the same time. Or Vielha, where the 23 ºC on Saturday are far from the less than 5 ºC on Sunday midday (you will find more data on the thermal drop at the end of this information). In a few hours we have gone from this feeling of advanced spring to one more typical of late winter, especially in high mountains, where it will continue to snow during the next few hours. In addition, showers will affect more regions as the hours pass and will affect the eastern half of the country during Sunday night and Monday morning.

Temperatures remained quite stable this Saturday, again exceeding 30 °C in a week that has reminded us that summer is fast approaching. However, in a few hours we will go from this sensation of advanced spring to one more typical of late winter, especially in high mountains, where it will snow again. The cause will be the passage of an Atlantic front and the entry of a clearly colder air mass, a situation that will cause showers and a sharp drop in temperatures, which in some cases can be 10 or 15 °C compared to Friday and Saturday.

Temperatures still rose a little more this Friday, causing completely unbridled heat for the season. Temperatures exceeded 30 °C again in Poniente, the Ebro, and Priorat, after it had already reached this for the first time this year on Thursday. But in areas of the pre-littoral and the northeast, temperatures also approached 29 or 30 °C. An practically summery day with values between 7 and 12 degrees above the average for the season. According to Meteocat data, 2026 ranks fifth in the podium of years in which 30 °C has arrived earliest since records began.

Temperatures have risen even further in the last few hours. Unseasonably hot weather for the dates, and yesterday the first 30 ºC of this year were finally reached and exceeded in our area, specifically in the Ponent and Ebro regions. Notable were the 31.9 ºC recorded at the Riba-roja reservoir and 31.1 in Vinebre (Ribera d’Ebre), 30.7 in Aldover (Baix Ebre), 30.6 in Seròs (Segrià), 30.1 in Benissanet (Ribera d’Ebre), and 30 in Torroja del Priorat. This is a figure that this year has been reached almost a month earlier than last year, when the first 30 ºC arrived on May 3rd. According to Meteocat, if we establish a ranking of the day on which the maximum temperature of 30 ºC was first reached in Catalonia over the last twenty years, based on the data from the agency's stations, this Thursday, April 9th, would be in fifth position. As Aleix Serra Uró, head of Meteocat's data quality control team, explains in a statement, "we are facing an unusual, but not exceptional, situation".

Temperatures rose more yesterday, with very warm weather for the time of year in the pre-coastal areas and inland. Temperatures already approached 30ºC in towns in Ponent and the Ebro region, but they did not quite reach it by a few tenths. Notable were the 29.7ºC maximums recorded in Alcarràs (Segrià) or in Vallfogona de Balaguer (Noguera). From today onwards, thermometers will peak and the first official 30 °C of this year can be reached in Ponent and inland Ebro. We are talking about values between 7 and 12 degrees above the usual average for this time of year inland and in the Pyrenees.

The absolute calm of the Easter holidays has continued this Tuesday, with general sunshine and a warm midday atmosphere that has left highs of up to 27 ºC in Ponent. Temperatures that are high for the season, which are still expected to peak in the coming days, when the first 30 ºC of the year could be reached inland. Values clearly above the usual for this time of year and more typical of late spring or early summer. All of this is the result of a low-pressure system located between the southwestern Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands, which, with its counterclockwise rotation, will drive warm winds from North Africa towards home, as well as an incursion of Saharan dust in suspension.

The anticyclone keeps Atlantic fronts away and its warm ridge causes the thermometer to rise sharply during the day. This Sunday, for example, temperatures already approached 30 °C in Poniente, with 29.5 °C recorded in Alcarràs. The weather will remain spring-like everywhere on this final day of Holy Week and we will enjoy a 'dia de la mona' with temperatures more typical of May than early April. Only some changes are expected at the end of the week, with the approach of a front that could bring showers to the Pyrenees and a slightly cooler atmosphere.