Start of Holy Week with winds, temperatures under control and snow in the Pyrenees
The busiest day will be Palm Sunday, with strong winds in many regions
BarcelonaThe change in weather over the last few hours has caused a clear drop in temperatures, strong gusts of wind in the extremities of the country and a bit of snow on the north face of the Pyrenees, with blizzards at high altitudes. Speeds exceeding 100 km/h have been recorded in the Ebro region, the Pyrenean peaks, and in Empordà (you will find the most notable wind data at the end of this information). And in the coming days, thermometers will be kept in check and the north wind will persist, as the anticyclone located in the Atlantic will keep open the channel of cold wind coming from Central Europe towards our home.
On Friday and Saturday, maximum temperatures will recover slightly, but the approach of a new cold front will cause new snowfall in the Pyrenees over the weekend, as well as strong and more widespread wind on Sunday. Therefore, the start of Holy Week will be unsettled, but it seems that next week the situation will clearly improve, on the eve of the key days when many people have holidays.
Friday: quite a fruitful day
This Friday we will wake up with cold weather everywhere. There will be frost in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, but also in other mountainous areas and in inland parts of the northern half. We will have to see if the return to winter these days has any impact on agriculture. At midday, the maximum temperatures will rise a little, but will be kept in check, with many values between 13 and 18 °C, locally higher in the south, and clearly lower in mountainous areas.
The tramontana will remain intense in Empordà and in the peaks of the Pyrenees, here with blizzards. The mistral will be strong until the morning in the Ebro and nearby areas, but will decrease throughout the day. Meteocat maintains alerts activated for strong winds in the north of the country, which may again leave gusts of more than 90 km/h, locally more than 100 km/h. There are also alerts for strong waves on the Costa Brava.
The sun will dominate in general, with only a few decorative touches of thin clouds. There will only be remnants of some intervals of harmless clouds between Girona and Barcelona, as well as in the Pyrenees, without ruling out some local snow shower on the north face.
Busy weekend
The passage of a new cold front will mark the weekend weather. Saturday will be a very sunny day in most regions, but the Pyrenees will become increasingly cloudy and the snowfall will reactivate, with a snowline that will drop from 1,200 to 800 m. The wind will temporarily abate at the extremities, without disappearing completely.
But watch out for Palm Sunday, as the strong wind will be very intense in the Pyrenees, throughout Empordà and in the south, but it will also arrive with force in many other regions. Therefore, the wind will blow quite generally, be careful. It will also snow at all altitudes in the Pyrenees, especially on the north face, and there will be some showers in the northeast and on the coast. Temperatures will drop and the atmosphere will be more wintery than spring-like.
Next week will still start with wind at the extremities and a bit of instability. But as the days go by, the situation will improve and temperatures will clearly rise. Therefore, we will reach the key days of Holy Week with much more tranquility.
Balance of the strong wind
The strong winds this Thursday have mainly affected the south of the country, Empordà and the Pyrenean peaks. Speeds have widely exceeded 100 km/h on some occasions. There have been some incidents, but none have been significant. In the Pyrenees, the phenomenon of blizzard has occurred. This is the summary of the strongest gusts of wind in recent hours.
- 148 km/h: Portbou
- 120 km/h: el Perelló
- 119 km/h: Darnius-Boadella Reservoir
- 98 km/h: Barberans Farm
- 97 km/h: Sant Pere Pescador
- 93 km/h: Roses
- 92 km/h: Ports NP
- 85 km/h: La Bisbal d'Empordà
- 83 km/h: Organyà
- 82 km/h: Miami Platja