Last day of calm tomorrow before the winter turn this weekend

The calm will continue on Friday, with sunshine interspersed with some thin, high clouds, as well as some low clouds in the northeast. Temperatures will rise slightly, with mild conditions at midday. However, the first showers will arrive in the Pyrenees of Lleida in the late afternoon. This will be the prelude to a cold front that will bring a significant change in the weather on Saturday, a wintery shift, with showers in several regions, more snowfall in the Pyrenees with a sharp drop in the snow level, gusty winds, and a clear drop in temperatures that will abruptly return us to winter conditions, just as we are on the cusp of spring.

Friday: last hours of calm

The weather will be very calm and pleasant again this Friday. No rain is expected, and the sun will combine with the passage of some thin, high cloud bands that may occasionally cloud the sky. There will also be some low cloud in the Girona and Barcelona regions, as well as morning fog. From the afternoon onwards, these cloud bands will move further from west to east, and in the late hours, the first showers will arrive in the Pyrenees of Lleida, with an initial snow level of 1,600 m. All this with temperatures that could still rise a little more. Early in the morning it will be moderately cold, and by midday it will be mild, with many highs between 16 and 21 °C. However, in some areas of the pre-coastal region and the south, temperatures could locally reach 22 or 23 °C.

Busy weekend

A cold front associated with a pocket of cold air will cross the region on Saturday, bringing a radical change in the weather. During the early morning hours, the sky will be overcast everywhere, and showers are possible anywhere. The most likely showers are expected in the Barcelona and Girona regions and other areas of the northern half of the country, with some thunderstorms accompanied by hail. Precipitation will also arrive on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, initially moving towards the southern slopes. The snow level will drop from the initial 1,600 meters to 1,000 meters, and by morning it will fall to 800 meters, locally lower in the Pyrenees. Therefore, snowfall is possible again in some Pyrenean valleys. In the higher elevations of the Alt Pirineu and the northern slopes, more than 25 cm of new snow could fall. Furthermore, scattered showers are possible throughout the day in the Barcelona and Girona regions, with some thunderstorms accompanied by hail. But elsewhere it's unlikely to rain anymore, and clear spells will gradually increase, with variable skies. Only on the northern slopes will the skies remain overcast, with precipitation.

All this with a sharp drop in temperatures that will suddenly bring back winter weather. Many highs will hover between 10 and 15 °C, but in the higher elevations of the Pyrenees, thermometers will remain below freezing all day.

The northerly wind will strengthen in the extremes, with strong to very strong gusts expected on Sunday in the Empordà, the Ebro valley, and the Pyrenean peaks, where blizzard conditions are anticipated. We will have adverse conditions this weekend in the high mountains. The wind will also be felt, albeit weaker to moderate, in other areas of central and southern Spain. The sun will gain ground, and no further precipitation is expected.

But this wintry turn will be brief, as next week will bring back calm and a more spring-like atmosphere, while we wait for the new season to officially arrive next Friday.