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

BarcelonaThe heat has once again been very intense and scorching in recent hours, despite a slight decrease compared to Monday's temperature peak, which reached up to 43 ºC as the most notable figure in Vilanova de Segrià. The third day of the heatwave has once again pushed thermometers above 35 ºC in much of the interior, and 40 ºC has been reached or exceeded again in Ponent and the Ebro interior. Notable figures include 41.4 ºC reached in Alcarràs, 41.3 in Lleida, and 41.2 in Alfarràs (Segrià) as the highest data of the day. No records were registered in Catalonia, but they were in France, as Monday afternoon and Tuesday night were 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 hitting half of Europe. And in our region, we have experienced a very hot Tuesday after a sleepless night, with many tropical minimum temperatures, and some torrid ones along the coast. Saint John's Eve is looking warm and pleasant, as the afternoon showers from the north will eventually disappear. In the coming days, thermometers will slowly drop, but will remain well above the usual average for this time of year, with intense heat and mugginess. Nevertheless, the heatwave will be considered over, especially from Thursday onwards, as the extreme heat thresholds will not be exceeded. It seems that next week a more significant cooling could arrive.

Very warm St. John's Eve

Nighttime temperatures will remain quite warm this Saint John's Eve, one of the heaviest in terms of heat on record. Tropical lows will be recorded again in many regions, while torrid lows will be repeated in coastal areas, especially in densely populated areas due to the heat island effect, particularly in the Barcelona area. On the other hand, it will cool down more in mountainous areas.

Therefore, in this context of a heatwave, maximum caution with fire and fireworks during the revelry, as the risk of forest fires is very high and a small spark can quickly start or spread the flames. All this with great calm and clear skies, and dust in suspension. No rain is expected anywhere, as the afternoon showers in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and nearby areas will completely leave by dinner time.

Possible mid-term refresh

In the coming days —also on Sant Joan's Day— thermometers will gradually go down, but we are coming from so high up that it will continue to be very hot, with values between 5 and 10 degrees above average in many cases and nights that are hard to sleep through. This festive Wednesday of Sant Joan, temperatures will still reach 40 ºC in Ponent, but from Thursday onwards it will be more difficult. All this with calm, suspended dust and new afternoon showers in the Pyrenees.

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 substantial 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 left and everything will have to be confirmed. For now, we have to keep sweating profusely.