Eyes on the sky in various regions this long weekend

BarcelonaWe are on the eve of a long May Day weekend that is shaping up to be typically spring-like, with instability and a lot of variability. Therefore, the saying will hold true: in May, every day a thunderclap. The influence of a small bulge of cold air will facilitate the growth of powerful clouds that will bring irregular storms and showers to various regions, especially in the northern half of the country. Where they fall, some local downpours may occur, occasionally accompanied by hail or sleet. In fact, this Wednesday we have already had the first scattered showers or mud drizzles, with a variable or overcast sky due to the passage of cloud bands and the presence of suspended dust. Temperatures have remained and will remain high for the dates, although they will tend to drop over the weekend.

Thursday: more storms

The sky will remain changeable and variable due to the presence of dust in suspension and the passage of cloud bands on the last day of April. Already in the morning, drizzles or some weak and scattered showers may fall, especially in the interior, on the southern face of the Pyrenees and in the Pre-Pyrenees. Little is expected for now, awaiting cloudiness to grow significantly and, by the afternoon, to leave irregular showers and thunderstorms in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, Central Catalonia, the Ports area, and in parts of the pre-littoral.

Locally there will be water showers that may be accompanied by hail or some hailstorm. Meteocat has activated the alert for intense rain that could leave more than 20 l/m² in just half an hour in various regions.

In the rest of the country, variability will continue, with a lower risk of showers, especially on the coast, although a few may fall late in the Costa Brava and Ponent. All this with temperatures that will rise a little, both minimum and maximum, with cool or mild mornings, and warm afternoons. Many highs will be between 23 and 28 °C, but where it rains, it will cool down suddenly. Furthermore, the water will be accompanied by mud.

A lightning strike every day

Friday –a holiday, May the First– instability will persist, with new showers and storms affecting mainly the Pyrenees and western pre-Pyrenees, but also other mountain areas and the western half of the country. Over the weekend, uncertainty is at its peak. Depending on the final position of the cold air pocket and the more or less active arrival of a front, precipitation will be distributed in one place or another.

With current maps, it could rain in many regions on Saturday. A front of showers and storms would arrive from the west, affecting mainly the regions of Lleida, Tarragona, the Pyrenees, and pre-Pyrenees, while most regions of Barcelona and Girona would remain somewhat on the sidelines. And on Sunday, it wouldn't clear up, with new scattered showers. A situation that we will have to follow closely, as many people have plans to take advantage of the three-day holiday. Temperatures would drop.