Saint John's quiet and very warm: when will the strong heat end?

BarcelonaThe heat has once again been very intense and torrid in recent hours, despite a slight decrease compared to the temperature peak on Monday, which reached up to 43 ºC as the most notable figure in Vilanova de Segrià. The third day of the heatwave once again pushed thermometers above 35 ºC in much of the interior, with over 40 ºC in Ponent and the Ebro interior. Notable figures include the 41.4 ºC reached in Alcarràs, 41.3 in Lleida, and 41.2 in Alfarràs (Segrià) as the highest readings on Tuesday. No records have been registered in Catalonia, but they have in France, as Monday afternoon, Monday night to Tuesday, and Tuesday have been the warmest in history since records began in the neighboring country, with numerous heat records and temperatures clearly above 40 ºC.

This gust of very hot air from North Africa is punishing half of Europe. And in our region, we experienced a very hot Tuesday after a sleepless night, with many tropical minimum temperatures, and some torrid ones along the coast, a situation that has been repeated again during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. In the coming days, thermometers will slowly go down, but will remain well above the usual average for this time of year, with intense heat and mugginess. However, the heatwave will be considered over, especially from Thursday onwards, as extreme heat thresholds will not be exceeded. It seems that next week a more significant cooling could arrive.

Saint John: intense heat

Saint John's Day with thermometers that will gradually drop, but still well above the climatic average throughout the country. This Wednesday, temperatures will still reach 40 ºC in Ponent, although already far from the extremes of Monday and Tuesday. Afternoon showers will return to the Pyrenees, although they will be scattered and generally insignificant. Nevertheless, the sun will be the protagonist of the day and will dominate the sky in much of the territory, making the sensation of heat more intense.

Possible mid-term refresh

But when will this suffocating episode of extreme heat end? Well, the maps indicate that from Sunday onwards, colder air at altitude could arrive, which would open the doors to the possibility that next week a more significant cooling could arrive and that showers would gain ground. Therefore, we could start July with a much more breathable atmosphere. In any case, there are still days to go and everything will have to be confirmed. For now, we have to keep sweating profusely.