This is how it is: this Friday, May 29, at 8 p.m., a popular, multitudinous, and simultaneous singing of La Balanguera will be celebrated in all the towns and cities of Mallorca, called by the Obra Cultural Balear (OCB). More than 250 educational centers and all the municipalities on the island will participate. In this way, the centenary of this song will be celebrated, a poem published by Joan Alcover in 1903 to which maestro Amadeu Vives set music in 1926, the year in which the song was performed in public for the first time, at the Palau de la Música Catalana. It is also the round anniversary – thirty years – of its declaration as the official anthem of Mallorca by the Consell de Mallorca, in 1996.Today's great cantada, however, has an objective that goes beyond mere commemoration. In the words of the president of the OCB, Antoni Llabrés: “In a situation of a de-structured society with problems of social cohesion, such as Mallorca's in this third decade of the 21st century, we need to seek shared references.” He adds: “Our intention is for us to experience an act of affirmation of who we are and what we want to continue to be. An act of Mallorcan affirmation.” Certainly, de-structuring and the loss of internal cohesion are characteristics of current Western societies, but on an island like Mallorca, which has experienced disproportionate population growth in two and a half decades and is subjected to economic dependence on mass tourism and luxury tourism, and to the very strong pressure of real estate speculation by vulture funds and large German, Swedish, or British investors, these phenomena only worsen.Going out into the street to sing La Balanguera (a hymn that does not sing of epic deeds, but of the passage of time, death and life, the succession of generations, "of childhood climbing up, / of old age going away") may seem to some an almost naive gesture in the face of the avalanche of noise and fury that falls upon us every day. Quite the contrary: it is a bold and intelligent gesture, a civilizing expression. A way of saying that all of us who live in Mallorca are, can be, Mallorcans: wherever we come from, whatever our skin color. A few months ago, on the occasion of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese community in Pere Garau, Palma, organized their own rendition of La Balanguera, accompanied by the dragon that stars in this celebration (which, for the occasion, was named Pep) and by human tower groups: this is a good example of the way forward. Is it arduous? Absolutely. But it is the way of bringing together people from all over the world in the native language of the Balearic Islands, Catalan, and with cultural references that are shared and dialogue with those contributed by immigrants settling in Mallorca.From Joan Alcover, one of the great poets of Catalan literature and one of the leaders of the Mallorcan School, you can read his Poesies in the critical, sound, and rigorous edition that Ignasi Moreta has made of it, recently published by Edicions 62. You can search for the text of La Balanguera and sing it, if you wish.

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.

The mass of warm air over the Iberian Peninsula continues to generate an atmosphere more typical of early July than May. This weekend, temperatures once again neared 35 °C in the Lleida plain and the Girona regions, and exceeded 32 °C in the pre-coastal areas. On the coast, the lack of ventilation and intense radiation caused the mercury to climb to 31 °C in Roses. Models indicate that this warm spell will extend for much of the week, with values between 6 and 8 degrees above average in some cases. Thermometers will reach their peak between Thursday and Friday, with a warm surge that will bring values close to 38 °C in western Catalonia.

The anticyclone will keep storms away from our latitudes and the existing pocket of warm air over the Iberian Peninsula is still generating temperatures more typical of early July than May. Yesterday, they again brushed 35 °C in the Lleida plain, as, for example, in Alfarràs and in the Girona regions they reached up to 30 °C. On the other hand, on the coast, the presence of fog banks contributed to the thermometer not exceeding 24 °C or 25 °C in some parts of the Costa Brava.

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 new cold air furrow at high altitude will destabilize the weather this Sunday. Showers and storms will increase, with an afternoon that is expected to be unsettled, especially to the north of the territory and in Central Catalonia. The last polar front has caused a significant cool-down, with an atmosphere more typical of March than of May. Snow has fallen in the Pyrenees below 1,400 m and has left wintery, postcard-like landscapes at medium and high altitudes.

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.