Strong winds and snow in the Pyrenees will open the doors to the polar cold

BarcelonaTemperatures peaked this Monday, with mild conditions in many regions at midday. The highest maximum temperatures were recorded in the south of the country due to the mild westerly wind, reaching 21 or 22 °C in the Terres de l'Ebre and Camp de Tarragona. A strong wind brought gusts of over 50 km/h in some areas. At higher elevations, the readings were even higher, notably the 121 km/h recorded at Puig Sesolles, at an altitude of 1,668 meters in Montseny. But changes are expected starting this Tuesday. The passage of a front will reactivate the strong northerly winds in several regions and bring more snow to the Pyrenees. This situation will pave the way for an incursion of cold air of polar origin, bringing a more wintry feel in the coming days. However, the mercury will not plummet to the low levels of last week.

Tuesday: wind and lower temperatures

The passage of a weather front will reactivate the strong mistral and tramontana winds. The gusts will be particularly intense during the middle of the day in the Tarragona and southern Barcelona regions, and there will also be significant gusts in the Pyrenees and the Empordà, with rough seas. The wind will also be felt moderately in other areas, such as the Barcelona area and the western part of Catalonia. The wind will continue into the afternoon, although it may temporarily decrease in intensity. Gusts could exceed 70 or 90 km/h in the windiest areas. Meteocat has issued strong wind warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Ventcat plan is activated at the alert level.

All this with sunshine in most areas, but with more cloud cover and a risk of some light, scattered showers or scatter in the northeast. Rain will return to the Pyrenees. It will mainly affect the northern slopes, but will intermittently spread to the southern slopes. The snow level will fluctuate between 1,200 and 1,000 meters in the morning, and will drop to 800 meters in the afternoon. Showers are also expected in the Balearic Islands, especially between Mallorca and Menorca. All of this is due to the arrival of cold air, which will also lower temperatures everywhere. Highs of 11 to 16°C are expected, with lower temperatures in mountainous areas.

Cold, wind and snow in the Pyrenees in the coming days

On Wednesday, strong to very strong northerly winds will prevail in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, not only on the peaks but also in the Empordà region, while the mistral wind will persist in the south. Extreme caution is necessary, especially in the high mountains, as conditions will be severe. Some showers are still expected on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, where the snow level will drop significantly. Sunshine will dominate in most areas, with a distinctly cold and wintry atmosphere.

On Thursday, temperatures may recover slightly, but will remain below average for this time of year. The northerly wind will ease but not disappear, bringing renewed precipitation to the Pyrenees, with the snow level rising throughout the day. No significant or widespread rain is expected outside the Pyrenees.