Rain, snow and cold: the most wintry and eventful Christmas in recent years is here

BarcelonaCatalonia is kicking off a Christmas season that, for the first time in many years, will be quite eventful and decidedly wintry. After a brief respite on Wednesday, rain will once again spread across the region on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The days will be overcast and drenched, with potentially heavy accumulations in northeastern areas. Drivers should be cautious on the roads, as there will be a lot of traffic. And be aware of the snow level, as it will fluctuate considerably depending on the day and location, but in some southern and inland areas, snow is already falling down to 500 meters or even below. Therefore, some towns could experience the idyllic white Christmas landscape we're used to seeing in movies.

Regardless, snowfall will resume and become significant again in the mid and high elevations of the eastern Pyrenees. And we should bundle up, because the cold will be pronounced everywhere, nothing like the rather mild Christmases of recent years. It will be an episode of rain and snow accompanied by a major easterly storm at sea.

The coldest Christmas in recent years

The recent Christmas holidays saw relatively mild and above-average maximum temperatures, a stark reminder of the record-breaking heat of Christmas 2022. Only inland areas, particularly in the western part of Spain, experienced cooler temperatures thanks to fog from anticyclones. However, this year's situation will be completely different: it will be decidedly wintry, with temperatures even below the norm for this time of year. Since 2015, only Christmas 2020 was generally cold across the country, with maximum temperatures similar to those expected this year.

In fact, many highs are expected to be between 7 and 12 °C, but significantly lower in mountainous areas, and below freezing all day at the higher elevations of the Pyrenees. You'll need to bundle up. For example, Barcelona and Tarragona are expected to have highs around 10 °C this Christmas, a far cry from the nearly 15 and 17 °C of last Christmas, respectively. And in Puigcerdà, for instance, the forecast high of 3 °C and the possibility of snowfall will be nothing like the 14 °C reached last year.

It's been a long time since we've had such a cold and wintry Christmas, although it won't compare to the cold wave of Christmas 2001, which was the coldest so far this century. That Christmas Eve was extremely harsh everywhere, with the lowest temperature reaching -22.6 °C in the municipality of Das (Cerdanya).

Where and when will it rain or snow at Christmas?

During Christmas night and early morning, showers will return, especially along the coast, in the pre-coastal areas, and in the northeast. Rain will fall throughout the day on Christmas Day. The heaviest and most persistent rainfall is expected in the Girona and Barcelona regions, where the storm will begin in the afternoon and evening. Meteocat has issued a warning for rainfall accumulations that could exceed 100 liters per square meter in just 24 hours on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Christmas Day will be a wet one in many regions, and it will also rain in the Balearic Islands and between Valencia and Alicante. But be careful because in some areas the precipitation will be in the form of snow. We are under the effects of a pocket of cold air that will cause the snow level to fluctuate considerably depending on the area of the country. In much of the country, it will snow between 900 and 1,200 meters in the morning, even reaching 1,400 meters in the afternoon. But in the coastal and inland areas of Tarragona, on the Central Plateau, and in the valleys of the Pyrenees and western Pre-Pyrenees, the cold air will stagnate and cause the snow level to be considerably lower, between 500 and 700 meters, but locally lower. Therefore, in these areas, snow may fall at unusual elevations, creating nativity-like landscapes, something that hasn't happened in our country at Christmas for many years. Meteocat has issued an alert for possible snow accumulations of more than 5 centimeters above 600 meters in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees regions, as well as in Anoia, Segarra, Cuenca de Barberá, Solsonès, and Terra Alta.

In addition, snowfall will intensify and become persistent in the mid and high elevations of the eastern Pyrenees. Meanwhile, along the coast, winds will strengthen from easterly to northeasterly, with particularly rough seas along the Costa Brava.

Peak of the snowfall around Saint Stephen's Day

The heaviest rainfall is expected between the end of Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with strong easterly winds along the Costa Brava, where waves could reach 4 to 6 meters in height. Warnings are in place, so exercise extreme caution along the coast. Everything will depend on the final position of the storm and the pocket of cold air, but based on current weather maps, the most significant rainfall is again expected in the northeastern regions and Northern Catalonia—especially Roussillon—where total amounts for the entire event will be substantial and could exceed 100 or 15 millimeters. However, rain is expected across the country.

The snowfall will be persistent and very significant in the eastern Pyrenees, where between half a meter and a meter of new snow could accumulate throughout the storm, locally more. The ski sector is experiencing its best start to the season in recent years.

The snow level will fluctuate between 1,300 and 1,600 meters in most of the country, but in the Ponent region, the interior of the Ebro valley, and the valleys of the Pyrenees and the western Pre-Pyrenees, the level will be much lower during the morning, even below 700 meters. This situation presents a degree of uncertainty that will need to be monitored closely. Over the weekend, the situation will improve significantly in Catalonia, and the rain will move to the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands.