New afternoon showers and warm peak on the eve of Sant Jordi

BarcelonaAfternoon 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.

A typically spring-like situation with calm mornings and afternoon showers in some areas that will repeat in the coming days, also around Sant Jordi. Therefore, there will again be downpours with hailstorms or sleet, especially in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees. Temperatures will still rise a little more this Wednesday, with an atmosphere too warm for the season. We will again reach or exceed 30 °C in Poniente and in the southern interior. On the other hand, around Sant Jordi, the mercury will drop, with much more moderate heat.

Wednesday: more heat and new showers

This Wednesday's weather will be very similar to Tuesday's. Therefore, the morning will be quite calm, with sun combined with some cloud bands and local morning fog or low clouds. From mid-morning and midday, cloudiness will increase, bringing new irregular showers and thunderstorms in parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, but also in other areas, such as in Els Ports. As the hours pass, some downpours may even reach the northeast and Poniente. Once again, some downpours may leave hail or sleet in the north of the country. In the rest of the regions, calm will prevail.

All this with more dust in suspension coming from North Africa due to the mass of warm air from the south driven by the low pressure system located in the west of the peninsula. This will cause the sky to be more hazy or earthy and that, where it rains, the water will be accompanied by mud. Temperatures will still climb a few more degrees, with marked heat. Many maximums will range between 25 and 30 °C in the pre-coastal areas and inland, and still higher in Poniente and in parts of the southern interior. The mercury will again be more restrained on the coast, and where it rains it will cool down sharply.

Saint George with less heat

The novelty of the Sant Jordi festivity will be that temperatures will generally drop due to the entry of cooler wind from the east and gregales. The decrease will be more pronounced inland, where thermometers will not rise anywhere near as much as in recent days. Therefore, many maximums will be between 22 and 27 °C, far from 30 °C.

More moderate heat that will be accompanied by new afternoon showers. They will mainly affect areas of the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and the Els Ports area, but some more localized ones in the prelitoral are not ruled out. We will be keeping an eye on the sky in the afternoon in these areas, but in most regions it will not rain on Sant Jordi, on a day to be enjoyed.

Record-breaking hail

The strong hailstorm that affected the Osona region on Monday afternoon was exceptional, becoming the earliest hailstorm with the largest quantity of large stones - exceeding 2 centimeters - since records began in Catalonia. This is according to data provided by Meteocat.

The reason explaining these strong hailstorms is the atypical heat for this time of year, as it fuels the growth of powerful afternoon storms. Outside the usual season for large stones - from June to September - the record for stone size was set on January 7, 2018, with sizes up to 4 cm. However, on that occasion, as well as last year in Pla de Lleida, the quantity of large stones was not as significant as on Monday in Osona. There are increasingly more intense off-season hailstorms due to the effects of the climate crisis.