At the doors of the peak of the extraordinary heatwave: 40 ºC can be reached

BarcelonaWe continue immersed in this extraordinary and premature heatwave, which is completely out of place for a month of May and has set heat records in various parts of Europe. Today a new record was broken in London: the 35 °C reached in Heathrow and Kew Gardens exceed by 0.2 °C the record for heat in a May month in the United Kingdom, also recorded yesterday. A fact completely out of place in this country. In Catalonia, until now, we have had summer values above average, but far from records and heatwave criteria. Today, values close to 34 °C have again been reached in the Lleida plain and the south interior, and 30 °C in coastal areas.

Well, in the coming days we will have to be aware of a warm spell that we will experience between Wednesday and Friday, which will make the heat canicular and extraordinary for the dates. Temperatures will reach or exceed 35 °C in various points of the pre-littoral and inland areas, and may approach 40 °C in Ponent and the Ebro Valley. Furthermore, tropical nights will gain ground beyond the coast. We will have to see if any records are shaken, also regarding the persistence of so much heat. All this with scorching sun and calm due to the powerful anticyclone affecting us, which is mainly responsible for this heatwave.

Wednesday: higher temperatures

Thermometers will rise even further this Wednesday, both day and night. The mass of warm air that has been affecting us for days will intensify, and many maximums of 31 °C to 36 °C are expected in the pre-coastal areas and inland, while on the coast they will range between 25 °C and 30 °C. There may already be more tropical minimums - above 20°C - on the coast.

All this with radiant sun and calm everywhere for another day. Perhaps some morning fog or low cloud may appear in coastal areas, as well as afternoon clouds in the Pyrenees which, in principle, will not leave any showers. A pleasant and profitable day, but precautions must be taken to protect yourself from the hottest hours, as well as from strong solar radiation.

Scorching peak before the weekend

Temperatures will peak between Thursday and Friday, when the most intense part of this heatwave will fully affect us. It will be then when many highs will be around or exceed 35 °C inland, while in Ponent and the Ebro valley they could reach 40 °C. Extraordinary and completely out-of-place heatwave heat in the middle of May, with up to 12 degrees above average in some cases. A situation worthy of the most torrid summer days. And all this with tropical and sleepless nights that will spread along the coast, the pre-coast and the south of the country.

We will have to see if some heat records are eventually broken in the month of May. The highest absolute maximum recorded so far for this month was 38.5 °C achieved in 2022 – the warmest year in history in Catalonia – in Castellbisbal (Vallès Occidental) and Anglès (Selva). A figure that could be surpassed in Ponent and Ebre in the coming days.

From the weekend, thermometers would begin to recede, but we will come from so high that the heat will remain summery for many days, even for a large part of June. All this with sun but with the reappearance of afternoon showers in the Pyrenees from Friday.