Pure spring over the weekend: sun and afternoon storms, but warmer

BarcelonaA weekend kicks off that will be marked by completely spring-like ingredients. Mornings will be calm overall, but in the afternoons, clouds will grow, leaving irregular showers and storms in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and nearby areas. In fact, these downpours will gain extent and strength, and especially on Sunday, they may reach more areas of the northeast and the north of Central Catalonia. Locally, there will be some water spouts accompanied by hail or sleet, so caution will be needed if we are in these areas on the weekend, especially if we have planned high mountain activities. Temperatures will rise and the atmosphere will be warmer, especially on Sunday. All this after a Friday that has already given us many highs from 21 to 26 ºC and some minor showers in the Pyrenees.

Saturday: more afternoon showers

The morning of the first day of the weekend will be calm, with plenty of sun combined with some layers of thin clouds, as well as morning fogs or low clouds in inland plains and in some coastal stretches, especially on the Ebro. From mid-morning, cloudiness will grow in mountainous areas which, towards the afternoon, will leave showers and irregular storms in parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees. Locally, they will leave some downpours of water, and they may punctually reach the north of Central Catalonia.

Regardless, in the south of the Valencian Country, remnants of some clouds and weak showers will remain. In the rest of the territory, sun will continue to dominate, with temperatures rising overall. Very moderate cold and cool mornings, and most highs will be between 22 and 27 ºC, locally higher in Poniente and in the Ebro interior. Where it rains in the afternoon, it will suddenly cool down.

Sunday: more heat and storms

Temperatures will still climb further on Sunday, especially along the coast, the pre-coast, and the southern half of the country. Very warm conditions at midday, with values higher than they should be for this time of year. Many highs will range between 23 and 28 ºC, but in Poniente, Priorat, and the Ebro interior, they may again approach or locally reach 30 ºC.

Although it will be hotter, clouds will grow with more energy. Starting from mid-morning, the first showers may appear, but it will be from midday and during the afternoon that showers and storms will spread to any part of the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and northern Catalonia Central.

But precipitation will gain intensity and extent, and some showers may also reach areas of the northeast and the pre-coast of Barcelona. Some downpours will occur, which could locally leave more than 20 l/m² in just half an hour, even with hail or sleet. In the rest of the territories, sun and calm will continue to dominate.

A typically spring situation of quiet mornings and afternoon storms in some regions will continue next week. We could even see a progressive increase in instability, which would bring showers to more areas.