Muggy weather on the coast and a couple of degrees cooler in Ponent

BarcelonaThe warm air mass from North Africa is keeping the sweltering atmosphere throughout the country, especially in Ponent, where temperatures have still exceeded 37°C today (37°C in Poal, Alfarràs, and 36°C in Tremp). In Banyoles, they have reached almost 36°C, and in El Vendrell they have also exceeded 34°C.

However, there will be a slight respite on Sunday. It won't cool down much, but temperatures will drop by two or three degrees in the Lleida region. It will be hot, but not as extreme. All this, with the risk of showers and the occasional storm during the early hours of Sunday in the Pyrenees and the western Pre-Pyrenees. The heat will continue and even intensify next week, especially on Tuesday.

Sunday: muggy weather on the coast and less extreme heat in Ponent

During the early morning and early hours of the day, low clouds are expected along the coast and a somewhat cloudy sky in the northern third, where there will be some showers in parts of the Pyrenees and the western Pre-Pyrenees, locally in the form of storms, although they will dissipate with dawn and will end in the morning.

Temperatures will drop slightly, especially in the north of the country. However, this drop will be subtle, as it will continue to be very hot, with highs of 31 to 33°C in much of the interior and pre-coastal areas, and somewhat higher in Ponent and Empordà, where they will hover between 33°C and 35°C. We will experience a midsummer atmosphere with tropical nights and markedly muggy conditions along the coast. Minimum temperatures, in many coastal areas, will not drop below 23°C, with high humidity. The sun will combine with bands of high, thin clouds, and in the afternoon, dark clouds will again gather in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, bringing occasional showers, especially in the west.

More heat next week

Far from abating, the heat will continue into next week, even reaching a new scorching peak between Tuesday and Wednesday. In fact, models indicate a new advance of the warm mass from North Africa, which will send temperatures soaring again on Tuesday, with highs once again reaching nearly 39°C in Ponent. Along the coast, apart from the muggy conditions, the salty sea air will keep temperatures at around 28°C or 29°C. This is unbridled heat in an extraordinarily hot June.

It looks like we'll be arriving at the Sant Joan long weekend fairly calmly, with temperatures above average, although they might drop slightly.

Heat report

Temperatures reached their peak on Wednesday in many regions, especially on the Barcelona coast and pre-coastal areas and in Central Catalonia, where temperatures reached 37 or 38°C locally. Even in the city of Barcelona itself, temperatures exceeded 33°C. However, the arrival of storm clouds prevented temperatures from rising as high as they had on Tuesday in Poniente, where temperatures barely reached 35 or 36°C, far from the 38°C mark. The exception was Artesa de Segre (Noguera), where there was a brief, scorching peak of up to 38.4°C, which turned out to be the highest maximum in the entire country. Tuesday and Wednesday were the hottest days of the year. These are the most notable maximum values from a stifling Wednesday:

• 38.4°C, Artesa de Segre
• 38 °C, Artes
• 37.7 °C, the Canoso
• 37.5 °C, Caldes de Montbui
• 37.4 °C, Oliana
• 37.4 °C, Castellbisbal
• 37.4 °C, Oliola
• 37.3 °C, Baldomar
• 37.2 °C, Tárrega
• 37.2 °C, Parets del Vallès
• 37 °C, Vallirana
• 36.9 °C, Massoteras
• 36.6 °C, La Pobla de Segur
• 36.2 °C, Sabadell

Also noteworthy are the tropical lows, which have lost ground after being repeated on Tuesday and Wednesday in several locations, including inland, especially in high elevations. However, the coast is where the most lows above 20°C have been recorded. Particularly noteworthy is the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, ​​where the low was 23.5°C on Thursday, but close to 24°C on Tuesday. The Fabra Observatory also did not drop below 22.8°C on Thursday night, and Montserrat Mountain reached 21.4°C, while at lower altitudes it was cooler. Cities such as Lleida and Girona experienced their first tropical night early Tuesday morning, but both Wednesday and Thursday saw a cooler night.