Temperatures over 40°C and sleepless nights: how the heat wave will affect us

BarcelonaTemperatures have already risen sharply this Friday in many regions, especially inland, and especially inland from the Ebro, where today they already exceeded 40°C (you'll find all the data at the end of this report). This will lead to the first heat wave of the year.

The episode will last from this last weekend of June until at least Tuesday of next week, the first day of July. Poor sleep, especially on the coast. All this with sun and few shades, while we await a more comfortable second half of next week.

Saturday: hotter

Temperatures will rise further, especially inland and in the northeast, and could already reach 40°C in the West Coast and the Ebro Valley. In general, many highs will be between 33°C and 38°C on the pre-coastal and inland areas. Temperatures remain unchanged along the coast of Barcelona and Tarragona, but with a midsummer atmosphere and increasing muggy conditions, as well as increasingly extended tropical nights. There will even be some torrid lows—above 25°C—repeatedly, especially in the city of Barcelona. Meteocat has issued an intense heat alert this weekend for many coastal regions in the West Coast and the south.

All with bright sunshine and calm skies, with some suspended dust. In the afternoon, clouds will gather in mountainous areas, but overall, they will be harmless. The only possible showers are inland in Castellón, especially toward the Alt Maestrat.

Sunday: torrid atmosphere day and night

Nighttime temperatures will rise even further, and the night will be sleepless on the coast, where temperatures will be difficult to drop below 22 or 23°C. There will be even more torrid lows, an extreme nighttime temperature that the city of Barcelona has been recording for over a week now. Tropical lows will also be present in many areas of the pre-coastal and inland areas. Meteocat has issued a nighttime heat alert for several coastal regions.

Maximum temperatures will rise further in much of the coast and pre-coast, while remaining similar to the rest. This will mark the start of the harshest days of the heat wave. Overall, there will be many values of 34°C to 39°C in the pre-coast and inland areas, 30°C to 34°C on the coast with very muggy conditions, and around 40°C or more in Ponent and the Ebro Valley.

All with bright sunshine and only a few afternoon clouds in mountain areas that, at most, will leave some local showers in the Pyrenees—especially the western ones—and inland areas of Castellón and Valencia.

Heat wave at least until Tuesday

Temperatures will remain very high between Monday and Wednesday, with highs continuing to hover around 40°C in the West and the Ebro, and exceeding 35°C in many parts of the pre-coastal and inland areas. This will continue, especially starting on Thursday, and the second half of the week will be more pleasant, with more showers.

Temperatures rose sharply this Friday, especially inland. Intense heat throughout, leaving many highs of 33 to 37°C, but locally higher. In fact, to the west, inland from the Ebro River and in Priorat, temperatures exceeded 38 and 39°C, and have already reached 40°C locally. Specifically in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre), with 40.5°C, the highest high of the day in the entire country. This is the summary of the highest maximum temperatures reached this Friday:

• 40.5 ºC: Vinebre
• 39.5 ºC: El Masroig
• 39.3 ºC: Ribarroja Reservoir
• 38.8 ºC: Tortosa (Roquetes)
• 38.7 ºC: Ascó
• 38.6 ºC: Benissanet, Falset and Seròs
• 38.6 ºC: Torroja del Priorat
• 38.3 ºC: Aldover
• 38.3 ºC: Torres de Segre
• 38.1 ºC: Lleida (Aemet)

It's worth noting that the early hours of Wednesday into Thursday were very warm in coastal and pre-coastal areas, setting some records. For example, the Aemet station at El Prat Airport recorded a low of 24.9°C, the highest for a June in 100 years of records. Girona Airport also recorded its highest low in June since records began in 1973, at 21.1°C. These records add to those achieved in recent days across the country.