Alert for heavy rain tomorrow in practically the entire country

BarcelonaThe significant weather change we've been forecasting for days is finally here. After a cloudier Wednesday with the first light and scattered showers in some areas, an active cold front will cross the region on Thursday, bringing widespread rain. At the same time, a small low-pressure system will form off the Catalan coast. The rain will sweep across the country from west to east during the first part of the day, locally accompanied by downpours, strong winds, hail, or other heavy rain. Therefore, the peak of this weather event will coincide with school and work arrivals and departures in many areas. Exercise extreme caution on the roads. Civil Protection has activated its Inuncat plan, and Meteocat has issued mostly orange warnings (high danger) for the risk of heavy rain across much of the region.

This afternoon, some areas will still experience scattered showers. This change in weather will also bring the first significant snowfall of the season to the higher elevations of the Pyrenees. And it looks like the weekend could begin with another round of precipitation.

How the widespread rainfall episode will evolve

Until Wednesday night, there will be some light and scattered showers in some areas. During the early hours of Wednesday, the front will approach, bringing the first rain to the Lleida and Tarragona regions. During the morning, the rain will spread from west to east towards Barcelona and Girona, where the front will eventually move between midday and lunchtime.

Although the precipitation will move quickly, it could leave significant accumulations of 20 to 50 l/m². Locally, however, the totals will be higher and exceed these figures, especially in parts of the Pre-Pyrenees, the southern slopes of the Pyrenees, and the northeast interior. Furthermore, the rain may be accompanied by heavy downpours, strong gusts of wind, and even hail.

Some lighter showers will also reach the Valencian Community, and heavy rain is possible in the Balearic Islands, where AEMET (the Spanish State Meteorological Agency) has issued a yellow alert. In the afternoon, a lot of cold air will remain aloft, bringing instability and further scattered showers and some thunderstorms to parts of the Girona and Barcelona regions, the Pyrenees, and the Pre-Pyrenees. All of this will be accompanied by the arrival of the mistral and tramontana winds in the south, the Empordà region, and the Pyrenean peaks.

First significant snowfall of autumn

This weather event will also bring the first significant snowfall of the season to the higher elevations of the Pyrenees. The snowfall will initially begin at 2,600 or 2,500 meters, but will gradually descend to 2,000 meters throughout the day as cold air moves in, locally from below. Accumulations of 15 to 25 centimeters are possible at these higher elevations.

Temperatures will drop, with a fully autumnal feel everywhere. Many highs will hover between 15 and 20°C, but will be noticeably lower in mountainous areas and the northern interior. At higher elevations in the Pyrenees, temperatures will remain below 0°C all day.

More rain on the horizon

Friday will be a calmer day, with plenty of sunshine and only a few showers in the Pyrenees. North winds will blow across the far reaches of the country, and temperatures will remain moderate. The weather maps still indicate that a new line of widespread precipitation will move across the region during the early hours of Saturday, bringing more snow to the Pyrenees. This is still uncertain and will need to be confirmed.