A new wind storm is arriving: gusts will exceed 120 km/h

BarcelonaThe start of the weekend has been quite calm, but the weather will become complicated as the hours pass. The passage of a new cold front will cause a new snowfall in the Pyrenees at very low altitudes in the coming hours. Furthermore, it will open the doors to a northerly wind that will strengthen, and on Palm Sunday we will experience a storm of strong gusts in many regions, also outside of usual places. The most affected areas will be the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, regions of Girona, the Ebro, the south of Camp de Tarragona, Castellón, and the Balearic Islands. The gusts will widely exceed 100 or 120 km/h in the most affected areas, and conditions will be especially adverse in the Pyrenees, where the atmosphere will be freezing and the phenomenon of the whirlwind will occur. These are days of high mobility, so maximum caution is advised, especially in mountainous areas and in the northeast. Civil Protection has already activated the alert of the Ventcat plan and the pre-alert of the Neucat plan in response to this episode,andthis Saturday afternoon it sent an Es-Alert message to the regions at highest risk to ask them to avoid unnecessary travel and outdoor activities during Sunday.

The message has reached all mobile phones in Solsonès, Berguedà, Ripollès, Alt Empordà, and the north of Cerdanya, explained the deputy director of Civil Protection, Imma Solé. The forecast is that the gusty wind will be widespread, but in these regions it will be most intense. Solé added that, in addition to the wind, a period of strong waves is expected, especially on the north coast, and snow, mainly in the western Pyrenees area.

The cause of this gust of wind is found in the powerful corridor of cold north wind towards our house that has been generated between a powerful anticyclone in the Atlantic and a low-pressure area in the western Mediterranean. The atmosphere will be colder and more wintry on Sunday. Next week will still begin with wind and remnants of instability in the north of the country, but it seems that we will face the key days of Holy Week with more calm and good weather.

Sunday: windy weather

On Palm Sunday, a strong wind storm will occur in many regions, although the most affected areas will be the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees –also in the valleys–, the regions of Girona, the Camp de Tarragona, the Ebro, and Castellón. In these areas, speeds can easily exceed 100 or 120 km/h, with some local hurricane-force gusts of over 140 or 150 km/h. The Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya has various alerts activated for strong winds throughout the day, covering all regions of the country. In red level are Solsonès, Berguedà, Ripollès, Garrotxa, and Alt Empordà. In orange level, we find the rest of the regions of Girona, the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida, Segrià, Noguera, and some regions of the Camp de Tarragona.

Little or much, the wind will be noticeable everywhere, although it will blow more weakly in the Barcelona area. Also pay attention to the Balearic Islands, where the wind and rough sea storm will be very harsh, and where some showers will occur during the early morning and morning. Very altered maritime situation on the Costa Brava, also on alert for sea conditions, and very adverse conditions in the high areas of the Pyrenees, with very strong wind, freezing temperatures, snow and blizzard, a phenomenon that greatly reduces visibility and can cause accidents amidst a context of extreme weather. Much caution: all activities planned in high mountains will have to be postponed because in many cases the thermal sensation will drop below 10 degrees below zero.

Snowfall will remain on the northern face of the Pyrenees, and will intermittently jump to the southern face. The snow line will be low, and it may snow at practically all altitudes. The Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya warns of accumulations of more than 10 cm from 900 m upwards on the northern face, and 30 to 40 cm at high altitudes. Variable skies in the northeast, and more sun in the rest. Clear drop in temperatures, with a more wintry atmosphere and values below average everywhere.

Monday: more calm

The week will begin with much more pleasant and stable weather, although the wind will blow with strong gusts in Empordà, the Ebro and at high altitudes in the Pyrenees. It will be in the Pyrenees where there will be precipitation again, in this case with a snow line that will rise from the initial 700-900 meters to 1,500-1,700 meters. This rise in the snow line will be associated with a generalized increase in temperature, which will leave a milder atmosphere at midday on a day marked by intervals of high and medium clouds. Even so, Monday morning will be a little colder than Sunday morning and morning frosts will reach more regions outside the Pyrenees.

A fairly stable Easter week

As the days go by, the meteorological situation will gradually improve, leaving behind the change in weather of this first Easter weekend. Maps indicate that by mid-week the situation will be calmer and it seems we will reach the key Easter days with much more usable weather, although between Monday and Wednesday there will still be some precipitation in the Pyrenean regions, especially on the northern slopes. The temperature will rise progressively and by mid and late week we will again have some highs above 20 or 21°C.