A peaceful and productive start to the week, with more pleasant middays

BarcelonaThe weekend ended very calmly, leaving behind the windstorm in many regions and the widespread and significant snowfall across the Pyrenees on Friday and Saturday (you will find a summary of the snowfall and windstorm data and images at the end of this report). Most high temperatures ranged between 10°C and 15°C, lower in the north of the country and slightly higher in the Ebro Valley. This stable weather will continue into the start of the new week, with sunshine combined with some harmless bands of clouds, no precipitation anywhere, and more pleasant midday temperatures. Around Wednesday, temperatures could even reach 20°C in the south of the country. It won't be until the second half of the week that new changes will arrive, with increased instability and a further drop in temperatures.

Monday: a day to take advantage of

The week will begin very calmly. Sunshine will dominate, although it will be interspersed with some thin, high-altitude clouds that may occasionally obscure the sky. There will also be morning fog inland, as well as some lingering low cloud cover in parts of the Pyrenees. Minor variations in an otherwise calm weather pattern to enjoy.

Temperatures will rise, both minimums and maximums. Early in the morning, it will be moderately cold, with frost in the Pyrenees, the Pre-Pyrenees, and in some inland areas of the northern half of the country. Minimum temperatures will rise sharply in the high mountains, and the morning temperature inversion will become more pronounced, with colder temperatures at lower elevations than at higher elevations. It will feel more pleasant around midday, with many maximum temperatures between 11 and 16 °C, locally higher in the south. In the afternoon, a moderate southwesterly wind will be noticeable between the Costa Brava and the central coast.

Few changes until the second half of the week

On Tuesday, low cloud cover will increase along the coast and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Tarragona, but with no rain expected and sunshine elsewhere. Temperatures will rise further and are expected to peak on Wednesday, potentially reaching or nearing 20°C in the south of the country. These are unusually mild for this time of year. A southwesterly wind will blow, with locally strong gusts, on Tuesday along the Costa Brava.

Late Wednesday, a weakening front will brush past us, potentially bringing some precipitation to the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida. It will be minimal, and the weather forecasts indicate that instability will increase between Friday and the weekend, with a risk of further showers. This situation is still somewhat unclear and will need to be clarified, but it would be accompanied by another drop in temperatures.

Summary of the snow and wind storm

The snowfall on Friday and especially Saturday reached the entire Pyrenees, including the southern slopes and even the valley floors, some of which experienced the most significant snowfall of the season so far. At higher elevations, the storm was accompanied by strong winds, blizzards, and freezing temperatures. Saturday's weather conditions were particularly adverse in the high mountains. The heaviest snowfall occurred during the early hours of Saturday morning, and snow chains were mandatory on several roads this weekend. Sunday was radically different, with much calmer conditions but a high risk of avalanches. Here are some of the most significant snow accumulations:

• 56 cm: Certascan (2,400 m)
• 50 cm: Malniu (2,200 m)
• 45 cm: Lac Redon (2.247 m)
• 42 cm: Bonabé
• 39 cm: Nuria
• 36 cm: Bonaigua (2,266 m)
• 35 cm: Sasseuva (2,228 m)
• 35 cm: Tavascan
• 30 cm: It's Edges
• 29 cm: Bagergue
• 28 cm: Esterri d'Àneu
• 24 cm: Rice
• 23 cm: Old
• 18 cm: Puigcerdà
• 18 cm: Ulldeter (2,400 m)
• 15 cm: Rain

Regarding the wind, the storm weakened and decreased in extent throughout Saturday, but it still persisted in the south, in the Ponent region, in the Empordà, in higher elevations, and on the peaks of the Pyrenees. The strong winds on Friday and Saturday brought many gusts of between 60 and 90 km/h in many areas, but at higher elevations, gusts exceeded 100 km/h. These are the strongest gusts recorded between Friday and Saturday:

• 159 km/h: Portbou
• 136 km/h: Puig Sesolles (1,668 m)
• 100 km/h: Montsec d'Ares
• 96 km/h: El Perelló
• 95 km/h: Ulldemolins
• 93 km/h: Alguaire
• 88 km/h: Montserrat
• 87 km/h: Espot (2,519 m)
• 87 km/h: Núria (1,971 m)
• 82 km/h: Ulldeter (2,413 m)