The first heatwave of summer is already knocking at the door

BarcelonaFar from ending, the heatwave we are experiencing in Catalonia has intensified in recent hours, with temperatures yesterday reaching over 38°C in the Ebre interior and Ponent – notably 38.7°C in the city of Lleida itself – and 35°C in other inland areas. After such a scorching day, today the mercury will recede slightly temporarily, although the atmosphere will remain very warm. But all eyes are on the weekend, when the heat will be more extreme and the first heatwave of the summer in our region will very likely begin. An episode that will last at least until Sant Joan, with many highs of 35 to 40°C. Meteocat has already issued a prior warning in this regard for intense heat between Sunday and at least Tuesday, especially in the inland counties.

This fact will fully coincide with the official arrival, on Sunday, of the astronomical summer and Saint John. All of this is the result of a gust of very warm air coming from North Africa and an anticyclone that will embrace a large part of Europe in the coming days, with extraordinary heat on a widespread basis.

Thursday: small changes in temperatures

Temperatures will remain very high for the season this Thursday, but will recede slightly and temporarily. A slight decrease that will be barely noticeable, as it will continue to be very hot. The night has been quite mild in general, with new tropical lows in some parts of the central and southern coast and pre-coastal areas. And most of the highs will range between 30 and 35 °C, although in Ponent and the Ebro valley these figures will be exceeded again. In mountainous areas and coastal stretches, the mercury will remain below 30 °C, with sultriness on the coast.

All in all with sun and absolute calm. There will only be some morning mists or low clouds, as well as some touches of decorative thin clouds. Afternoon cloudiness will leave fewer showers than in recent days in the Pyrenees, and will mainly affect the western sector. Little all in all.

Heatwave on the weekend

On Friday, temperatures will still remain similar to Thursday's, but starting this weekend, they will increase more significantly. Torrid days are expected until at least the middle of next week. The mercury will reach or exceed 35°C in much of the country, but in the hottest inland areas, it will approach 40°C, especially in the Ebro valley and Ponent. We are on the cusp of the first official heatwave of summer in our region.

As we can see in the following map, from the weekend the temperature at 1,500 m altitude will move around 25°C in Catalonia and 30°C in the south of the Peninsula, values totally out of place.

Furthermore, tropical nights will extend across many regions. Even on the coast, the sultriness will be very marked and torrid nights will be recorded, which is when the minimums do not drop below 25°C. An exceptional situation of very intense heat that will also affect the rest of the Iberian Peninsula and a large part of Europe. All this with sun, suspended dust and only some local afternoon showers in the Pyrenees.