Temperatures in freefall: the arrival of the Arctic cold is imminent

BarcelonaTemperatures have dropped further in the last few hours. Yesterday, for the first time in several days, temperatures didn't reach 20°C anywhere, with most highs between 11 and 16°C. Some inland areas even dipped below 10°C. And the thermometers will continue to fall in the coming days. Today the drop continues, and we woke up to much colder weather. There are many frosts inland, and temperatures between 3 and 7°C are also being recorded along much of the coast. Bundle up before leaving home; it's a truly wintry morning. Notable lows include -8°C in Das and -5°C in Puigcerdà (Cerdanya), as well as -4°C in Prades (Baix Camp) and -3°C in Sant Salvador de Guardiola (Bages) and Raimat (Segrià). Between Thursday and Saturday, temperatures will plummet due to the arrival of the bulk of the very cold Arctic air mass, which will also leave much of Europe frozen and snow-covered at low elevations. We can expect truly wintry days, with temperatures between 7 and 10 degrees below the average for this time of year. On Thursday, a front will cross the region, bringing showers to some areas, with the snow level plummeting to 600 or 500 meters throughout the day. And between Wednesday night and the weekend, the northern slopes of the Pyrenees will receive several snowfalls, leaving the most significant snow accumulations of the autumn so far.

Wednesday: colder

We woke up to very cold weather everywhere. Frost has spread throughout the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, and there are also many areas inland and in some corners of the pre-coastal region. Generally, the minimum temperatures have ranged between -3 and 3ºC across much of the interior, from 0 to -5ºC in the Pyrenees and other mountain areas (locally lower), from 0 to 5ºC in the pre-coastal area, and from 3 to 7ºC on the coast. Maximum temperatures will also be lower, with many values between 8 and 14ºC, slightly higher in the south, but lower in inland areas and especially in the Pyrenees. Quite wintry conditions already.

All this with fairly calm and sunny weather. There will only be some thin, decorative clouds, morning fog, and the occasional local morning cloud cover between the coast of Barcelona and the southern Costa Brava. Cloud cover will increase in the northeast this afternoon, potentially bringing isolated showers or thunderstorms. Cloud cover will also increase on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, where the first precipitation will arrive late in the day, with the snow level dropping to 1,000 meters. Northerly winds are expected at the outer edges of the region, particularly in the morning.

Winter cold and snow at fairly low elevations

On Thursday, the mass of cold air of Arctic origin will begin to arrive, and temperatures will plummet. Many highs are expected to be between 6 and 12 °C. A front will arrive, reactivating the northerly winds and also bringing showers to parts of the Girona and Barcelona regions, especially along the coast and pre-coastal areas. And be aware of the snow level, as it will drop from the initial 900 m to 600 or 500 m by the afternoon. Some local showers are still possible at night, and the snow level will drop even further.

This situation will need to be monitored closely, as it may snow outside the Pyrenees in unusual locations. It seems that areas such as Montseny, the Transversal mountain range, Montserrat, and the Sant Llorenç del Munt i el Obac Natural Park may see snow, although initially only a few isolated showers and without any major snowfall.

In contrast, a snowfall will begin on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, continuing in several layers until the weekend. It will snow at practically all elevations, and intermittently on the southern slopes. In the higher elevations of the Aran Valley, northern Pallars Sobirà, and the Atlantic-influenced areas of Andorra, accumulations of more than 20 or 25 cm of snow are possible this week. On Thursday and Friday, showers and strong storms are also expected in the Balearic Islands, with snow potentially falling in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains of Mallorca above 700 m. This will be a truly wintry situation, with the cold reaching its lowest point on Friday and into the early hours of Saturday. A strong northerly wind is also expected across the region on Friday. In the higher elevations of the Pyrenees, the mercury could drop locally to -15°C or below; much of the interior will experience frost, and in many coastal areas, minimum temperatures will fall below 5°C.