September heat with historical records

BarcelonaThe unbridled heat continues to set temperature records across the country. This Saturday, the highest maximum for a September since 1914 was recorded again at the Fabra Observatory, with 35.3 °C. With this historic value, there are already four records broken in the city of Barcelona since the beginning of the month. In Ponent, in the interior of the Ebro, and in regions like the Priorat, temperatures reached or brushed against 41 °C, with a new September record at 64 of the 128 XEMA stations with more than twenty years of data.

The good news is that this atypical heat will come to an end by the middle of the week. Starting Monday, cloudiness will increase with the approach of a colder mass that, on Wednesday, will leave thunderstorms and cause the thermometer to drop everywhere.

Sunday with more clouds, but still very hot

After a sweltering night on the coast (25.8 °C in Barcelona), the arrival of a cold air trough at high altitude will increase cloudiness today, but this will not prevent the thermometer from continuing to rise. The minimum temperature was between 11 °C and 15 °C in the Pyrenees.

Early in the day, low clouds will appear along the southern coast, which will accentuate the feeling of mugginess. This cloudiness will dissipate quickly and give way to a radiant day. In the rest of the territory, there will be the passage ofthin clouds that will become thicker during the afternoon in the West. This cloudiness will slightly dampen solar radiation in some inland regions, and thermometers may be held back a little more. It will be intensely hot but not as extreme as this Saturday. Despite everything, temperatures could still touch 39 °C or 40 °C in the West and in the interior of the Ebro valley.

Meteocat has issued a danger warning for intense heat for Sunday that covers a large part of the regions of Ponent, Central Catalonia, the Pre-Pyrenees and, especially (in orange), the Ebro and southern regions.

Monday will be hot, but not as extreme. Starting Tuesday, thermometers will begin to normalize in the Pyrenees, and some initial thunderstorms could appear in the Lleida Pyrenees. On the other hand, it will continue to be hot in the rest of the country, with values close to 33°C on the coast and 37°C inland. The change will arrive on Wednesday, as models indicate the arrival of a cold air trough at high altitude and strong thunderstorms in many places. With the arrival of the colder mass, the environment will normalize and cool down, especially inland and in the Pyrenees.

The nights will also be cooler along the coast. Wednesday and during the early hours of Thursday, therefore, will be when there is the most instability, with downpours and strong storms in the northeast (with hailstorms), especially in the interior of the Girona regions, Central Catalonia, and also along the coast.

Maximum temperatures for Saturday:

• Alcarràs: 41.2 °C
• Sant Romà d'Abella: 40.8 °C
• Lleida: 40.2 °C
• Aldover: 40.1 °C
• Horta de Sant Joan: 39.7 °C
• Cabanes: 39.3 °C
• Organyà: 39.1 °C
• Sant Sadurní d'Anoia: 38.3 °C
• El Montmell: 38.1 °C
• Barcelona (Fabra Obs.): 35.3 °C