Hot start to summer and the Midsummer long weekend

The heat is relentless, and temperatures have risen even further this Friday, with over 39°C on the Ebro River—where the highest maximum temperature so far this year in Catalonia was reached—almost 38°C in the Girona region, and the first scorching lows in the city of Barcelona (as of this writing). Thermometers will still rise a few degrees and reach their peak this Saturday, the first official day of astronomical summer, a season that arrives at 4:42 a.m. The first 40°C of the year could be recorded in Ponent, reaching or exceeding 35°C in other inland areas.

The coast will be very muggy, and sleepless nights will spread to more regions. On Sunday, the mercury will drop slightly in some regions, but will rise again on Monday. St. John's Bridge was sweltering and fairly sunny, but with afternoon showers and thunderstorms in some areas, ahead of a generally pleasant and warm festival. In fact, Friday afternoon saw local but strong thunderstorms in parts of the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and the western half, with hail or thunderstorms.

Saturday: peak heat

The night will once again be sleepless and tropical in many places. But as was the case on Friday, along the coast, some lows could be scorching—not falling below 25°C—especially in the city center of Barcelona due to the urban heat island. Be careful with the highs on the first official day of summer, as they will add a few degrees overall, and the atmosphere will be scorching. Many temperatures will range between 32°C and 37°C, but locally they will be higher. This is the case in the Ponent region, where the first 40°C of the year could be recorded. The superheated southerly wind could also push highs above 37°C in the northeast. Meteocat has issued intense heat alerts for regions in the west and Girona.

On the coast, the heat will be very pronounced and heavy, with the sun generally dominating, especially in the morning. In the afternoon, clouds will gather in mountain areas as a result of the same heat, bringing showers and occasional thunderstorms in parts of the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, nearby areas, and inland Valencia. Showers are not ruled out in other inland areas of Catalonia. A strong thunderstorm may occur in the northern Poniente region at dusk.

Sunday: slight drop in mercury

Sunday morning will once again be tropical in many places, and some torrid lows could be repeated. Highs will drop slightly in the West and especially in the northern third of the country, including the Girona region. Elsewhere, temperatures will remain similar. Minor nuances in a context of generally very hot weather and marked muggy conditions on the coast. Highs of 32°C to 37°C, but up to 38°C or more in the West and the Ebro Valley.

All sunny and calm in the morning, with some coastal fog and a few patches of high, thin clouds. In the afternoon, the clouds will grow steadily, leaving irregular showers and thunderstorms in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and Els Ports, but they could reach more inland areas of Catalonia and the Valencian Community until the evening. The afternoon will be more unstable, but the showers will not reach everywhere; They will remain far from the coast, where the sun and calm will continue to dominate.

Verbena and end of long weekend with more heat

The temperatures lost on Sunday will be recovered on Monday in the west, with very intense heat and the possibility of reaching 40°C again in the West. Suffocating temperatures everywhere, with markedly muggy conditions on the coast, tropical nights in many places, and locally torrid lows in some coastal areas. Temperatures will remain very high at least until Wednesday, after which the heat will be more bearable.

All of this, with a similar tone to the beginning of the long weekend. That is, calm mornings with general sunshine and afternoons with some irregular showers and thunderstorms in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and nearby areas. The night of the San Juan festival will be very placid and warm, with the disappearance of the showers that fell during the afternoon in the north of the country.

Heat balance with some records

Temperatures rose even further this Friday, the last official day of astronomical spring, with unbridled heat that in many cases left highs of 32°C to 37°C, with marked muggy conditions on the coast. Thermometers soared the most in the Girona region due to the superheated southerly wind, where they locally exceeded 37°C. But this was especially true in Ponent and especially inland from the Ebro, where 39.4°C was reached in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre), the highest maximum so far this year.

It was probably the warmest day so far this year in many places, and the first torrid night was also recorded in several neighborhoods of the city of Barcelona, ​​​​with lows that did not drop below 25°C. And a new heat record has been recorded, this time at Lake Banyoles, where the 27.55°C measured today by observer Josep Pascual is the highest temperature for June since data collection began in 2000. This record adds to the 25.2°C measured on Thursday, which has been recorded at this time of year. These are the highest highs recorded on Friday:

• 39.4°C: Vinebre
• 39.2 ºC: Gimenells
• 38.6 °C: Alguaire
• 38.4 °C: El Masroig
• 38.4 °C: Ribarroja Reservoir
• 38.3 °C: Torres de Segre
• 38.2 °C: Vilanova de Segrià and Seròs
• 38.1 °C: Tàrrega and Ascó
• 37.9 °C: Lleida
• 37.8 °C: Fornells de la Selva
• 37.3 °C: Darnius-Boadella Reservoir