Less extreme heat and more thunderstorms in the Pyrenees

BarcelonaThe mass of warm air that is affecting us these days is losing strength and will move away towards the center of Europe. However, the heat is still intense and, once again, we have registered values close to 38°C in some regions of Ponent and Empordà. For example, in Cabanes they reached 38.7°C yesterday and in Lleida, up to 38.6°C. During the rest of the weekend we will continue under the effects of the anticyclonic ridge and the incursion of very warm air and dust in suspension from North Africa. Next week the thermometers will drop, but the latest maps reduce the possibility of a forceful cooling.

The heatwave is affecting the European continent with great intensity. Almost half of the cities in Europe have exceeded the temperature threshold that humans are capable of withstanding during an episode of extreme heat. New records may still be registered in the coming hours.

Sunday: afternoon showers in the Pyrenees

The heat will continue to intensify this Sunday, with some clouds on the southern coast and thinner ones inland. The early morning was again torrid on the coast, with 26 ºC recorded in Barcelona (Raval). The novelty today will be that in the afternoon, compact clouds will grow and showers will reappear in parts of the Pyrenees, especially the western ones. They will be downpours, locally intense, with thunderstorms that will discharge in regions such as Pallars Sobirà, Alta Ribagorça, Alt Urgell, and Vall d'Aran. Meteocat has issued a warning for intense rain in these areas and this afternoon has issued one for violent weather due to the proximity of quite active convective cells, coming from Aragon:

It is also not ruled out that, towards the evening, some shower may arrive in Ponent from Aragon. Nuances in a context of calm and sun throughout the country, and heat.

It will be a very warm and stuffy day again, especially on the coast. It will reach 36°C or 37°C between the interior of the Ebro and Ponent, with many highs of 34°C to 36°C inland, and again above 30°C on the coast, where the atmosphere will be heavy. On the other hand, where it rains in the afternoon, the mercury will drop suddenly.

Heat increasingly less extreme

Looking ahead to next week, thermometers will be dropping, especially on Wednesday. The weakening of the North African mass of warm air will allow for this temperature decrease. But everything seems to indicate that this thermal drop will be less significant than the forecasts of the last few days suggested.

A situation that we will have to follow closely, as for now it seems that it will be difficult for thermometers to fully normalize. All this with afternoon showers that will gain ground in the northern half of the country. Thunderstorms will be more widespread in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, Central Catalonia, and the Ports. Showers will fall on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

Maximum temperatures recorded Saturday, the 27th:

• Cabanes: 38.7 °C
• Lleida - la Femosa: 38.6 °C
• Darnius-Boadella: 38 °C
• Temperature: 37 °C
• Banyoles: 37 °C
• Girona: 36 °C
• Barcelona (University Zone): 34.6°C
• Rabbit: 33.5°C