Goodbye to extreme cold, but be alert now for strong winds in the coming days

BarcelonaTemperatures rose significantly last night, between 5 and 10 degrees compared to yesterday. While the extreme cold of the last few days has subsided, the temperature has dropped considerably, and it's still quite chilly, like the middle of winter. It's essential to bundle up this morning. Frost has been reported again in inland areas and the northern half of the region, especially in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees valleys, reaching as low as -7°C in Guixers-Valls (Solsonès) and -6°C in Guardiola de Berguedà and El Pont de Suert (Alta Ribagorça). The mass of very cold air of Arctic origin is now moving away, after yesterday's frigid conditions reached their lowest point, with widespread frost and temperatures nearing -15°C in the Pyrenees valleys. The peak of this cold snap resulted in the coldest early morning since January 6, 2021 (you will find the most important data from this winter episode at the end of this report).

Starting today, we will enter a period of Atlantic fronts that will significantly raise temperatures, with snowfall in the Pyrenees and strong winds in several regions. The peak of the weather is expected between Friday and Saturday, due to the passage of a cold front associated with the powerful Atlantic storm. GorettiMeteocat has many warnings activated and Civil Protection has put the Ventcat plan into alert phase for this episode.

Thursday: day of impasse

The snowfall that began yesterday afternoon on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees and continued throughout the night will persist until mid-morning, when it will stop completely, with the snow level rising rapidly to 1,400 meters. No further precipitation is expected anywhere for the rest of the day, with sunshine interspersed with bands of clouds creating an overall variable sky. We also woke up to widespread fog inland.

The main news will be the significant rise in temperatures, both day and night. The cold will be much more moderate and less extreme in the early hours, with less widespread and less intense frosts. Maximum temperatures will also rise, with some milder weather around midday and many areas reaching 9 to 14 degrees Celsius, higher in the south. During the day, the westerly wind will strengthen, blowing locally strong along the coast and in the pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Tarragona, as well as on the Central Plateau.

Strong winds and more snowfall in the Pyrenees

A new Atlantic front will cross us on Friday, bringing significant snowfall to the Pyrenees, especially on the northern slopes. The snow level will start above 1000 or 1200 meters, but will eventually drop to 800 meters throughout the day. Scattered showers are also expected in the northeast, the Pre-Pyrenees, and the western Pyrenees, but the rest of the region will remain dry, with some cloud cover.

Be aware of the strong westerly winds expected on Friday across much of the region. The strongest gusts are expected in the Tarragona area, central and southern Barcelona province, the western Pyrenees, and the peaks. Many weather alerts are in effect. The wind and snow will continue on Saturday, although they will gradually decrease, and temperatures will drop. We can expect several days with more moderate cold and temperatures typical for this time of year.

Cold Balance

Temperatures plummeted in the early hours of Wednesday, bringing a bitterly cold winter atmosphere and widespread frosts. The peak of the Arctic cold wave brought minimum temperatures of -5 to -10°C inland and -10 to -15°C in many Pyrenean valleys. On the coast, most minimum temperatures ranged between 2 and -3°C. The lowest minimum temperature in a populated area was recorded in Das (Cerdanya), reaching -14.7°C. It hadn't been this cold across the board since January 6, 2021, although in some cases it had lasted longer.

In this regard, a minimum temperature of -5.3 ºC was recorded in La Bisbal d'Empordà, the lowest since 2013. In Castell d'Aro, it dropped to -3.7 ºC, matching the lowest minimum recorded in 2015. Barcelona's minimum of -1.6 ºC in 2018 stands out. The 2.5 ºC in the Raval district is also the lowest value since 2023. Maximum temperatures also fell short yesterday, with most readings between 6 and 11 ºC. It wasn't an extraordinary or record-breaking cold snap, but the high temperatures of recent years had prevented episodes as cold as this one.