First downpours accompanied by hail or sleet: the strong storms can extend until the night

BarcelonaThis Thursday's weather change is causing an extensive spell of showers and strong storms that has so far left more than 50 l/m² in parts of the Pyrenees, with genuine downpours, hailstorms, and sleet. The most affected regions at the moment have been the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, northeast, and Central Catalonia.

Rainfall will extend across much of the country, affecting mainly the regions of Barcelona and Girona until the evening. Between the evening and the early night, it will become increasingly concentrated in the center and south of the country, affecting parts of the coast of Barcelona and northern Tarragona. Downpours will repeat, which in some cases may be accompanied by hail, sleet, or strong gusts of wind. In contrast, in the north of the country, calm will return after a very active afternoon, and by midnight, it will not be raining anywhere. The Inuncat plan alert remains in place, as do the warnings for intense rain and accumulations of more than 40 l/m² in half an hour and 90 l/m² in three hours.

During the night the rain will gradually disappear, and this Friday the weather will be much calmer, although in the coming days the afternoon instability will be repeated in the north of the country and in some western areas. Temperatures have dropped this Thursday, and it will cool down tonight. But heat and sultriness will return to be intense in the coming days.

Friday: more calm

We will wake up with a more pleasant atmosphere in general, even quite cool in mountain areas and nearby areas. Calm morning and no rain anywhere, with morning fogs due to the high humidity resulting from Thursday's rain, and remains of cloudy intervals in the northeast. The tramuntana and the mestral will blow moderately during the early morning and morning in the Ebre and Alt Empordà.

In the afternoon, some local showers may repeat in the northeastern interior and in the eastern Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees. Although some showers of a certain intensity are not ruled out, they will be local and minor phenomena, nothing to do with the downpours and extensive storms of Thursday. Temperatures will rise in the interior and in the Pyrenees, and will remain similar on the coast, with mugginess. Intense heat in general, with many maximums of 32 to 38 ºC in the pre-coastal area and inland.

Warm weekend and new afternoon showers

The heat and mugginess will remain intense this weekend, with only slight ups and downs. Mornings will be calm and pleasant, but in the afternoons, irregular showers and thunderstorms will reoccur in parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, as well as in nearby inland areas. Some will also reach the Ports, the interior of Valencia and Castellón, and Ponent, especially on Saturday.

On the other hand, near the sea, the sun and calm will continue to dominate throughout the days. Next week, thermometers will rise again due to the strengthening of the North African warm air mass, and even a new episode of extreme heat is not ruled out, coinciding with the total solar eclipse. Nevertheless, the maps suggest that the second fortnight of August could begin with a clear drop in temperatures and more instability.