Radical weather change on Saturday: showers, snow, wind and colder temperatures

BarcelonaToday has been a radiant day with very mild temperatures, pushing thermometers up to 22 or 23°C in the south and west of the country. But the calm and pleasant weather we've enjoyed these past few hours won't continue into the weekend. A cold front will arrive on Saturday, bringing a significant change in the weather, and above all, a sudden drop in temperatures that will abruptly return us to winter. Showers will fall in several regions, locally with thunderstorms and hail, and it will snow again in the Pyrenees, with the snow level plummeting. And beware of the north wind, as it will strengthen on Saturday, becoming strong or very strong in the far reaches of the country on Sunday. It's a very bad weekend for high-mountain activities, as wind, snow, blizzards, and freezing temperatures are expected.

Saturday: change to winter weather

Starting tonight and into the early morning, precipitation will arrive in the Pyrenees and the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida, quickly spreading to other areas. Between dawn and morning, showers are possible anywhere, but will be less frequent and sporadic in the south and west. In contrast, in the northern third of the region and in the Barcelona and Girona districts, showers will be more widespread and frequent, locally accompanied by thunderstorms and hail. The snow level will drop from 1,600 to 1,200 or 1,000 meters, and throughout the day will settle at 800 meters in the Pyrenees, locally lower as the day progresses. Significant snowfall will be expected on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, where accumulations of more than 25 cm of new snow are possible at higher elevations. Meteocat has issued snow alerts for this area. It will snow on the south face until morning, but for the rest of the day snowfall will only be intermittent in the far north of the sector.

Throughout the day, there will be many clear spells, but scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue along the coast and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona, ​​in Central Catalonia, and in the southern part of the Girona region. Rain will also continue throughout the day in the Balearic Islands, particularly in Mallorca and Menorca.

The mistral and tramontana winds will strengthen in the Empordà region, the south, the Ponent, and the Pyrenees peaks. A sharp drop in temperatures is expected, especially in the northern half of the region, bringing a suddenly wintry feel. Many highs will be between 10 and 15°C, higher in the south, and lower in mountainous areas, where temperatures will fall below freezing. The exception will be the Costa Daurada, where the wind will even raise temperatures slightly. Most lows will occur late in the day.

Sunday: strong northerly wind

Snow will continue to fall on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees until Sunday morning, but no further precipitation is expected for the rest of the day, with sunshine in most areas. However, the main news will be the strong mistral and tramontana winds blowing in many places. Strong to very strong gusts are expected in the Empordà region and on the peaks of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, where blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures are also anticipated. In these areas, wind speeds could exceed 100 or 110 km/h. Significant gusts are also expected in the southern half of the country and in some Pyrenean valleys, while the wind will be more moderate in the central region. Meteocat has issued a strong wind warning for several districts in the north of the country.

All this with temperatures rising in the Barcelona and Girona regions but falling in the Pyrenees. It seems this will be the last of winter's onslaught, as next week will bring calm and pleasant weather back by midday.