A new wind storm arrives: 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 during the next few 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 take maximum precautions, especially in mountain areas and in the northeast. Civil Protection has already activated the alert for the Ventcat plan and the pre-alert for the Neucat plan in anticipation of this episode.

The cause of this gale is found in the powerful corridor of cold northerly 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 wintery 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: wind storm

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, Camp de Tarragona, 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 Camp de Tarragona.

Little or much, the wind will make itself felt everywhere, although it will blow weaker 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 planned high mountain activities will have to be postponed because in many cases the thermal sensation will drop below 10 degrees below zero.

Snowfall will remain on the north face of the Pyrenees, and will intermittently jump to the south 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 on the north 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 l'Empordà, l'Ebre and at high altitudes in the Pyrenees. It will be in the Pyrenees where there will be precipitation again, in this case with a snowline that will rise from the initial 700-900 meters to 1,500-1,700 meters. This rise in the snowline will be associated with a generalized rise in temperature, which will leave a milder atmosphere at midday on a day marked by intervals of high and medium clouds. Nevertheless, Monday morning will be a little colder than Sunday morning and morning frosts will reach more regions outside the Pyrenees.

A fairly stable Holy Week

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