The heat is back today, but on the verge of new changes

BarcelonaThe first week of June has begun with a drop in temperatures, making the heat more moderate. There have also been repeated showers and thunderstorms in the north and west of the country, locally strong, although without the heavy hail of the weekend (you'll find more details at the end of this report). The weather will be considerably calmer and sunnier this Tuesday, with a temporary rebound in the heat inland and the northern half. But by evening, new showers will arrive from the west, which will spread to more regions at night. These will be the effects of a pocket of cold air that will also cause a subsequent, more significant drop in temperatures.

Tuesday: calm and more heat

We woke up calmly and with a cooler atmosphere than yesterday at this time, especially inland. Today, the sun will combine with only a few high, thin clouds during the morning, locally more abundant in the south. No rain is expected, but some precipitation will reappear on the north side of the Pyrenees in the afternoon, and some irregular showers cannot be ruled out in the rest of the mountain range. As the hours pass, clouds and downpours will arrive from the west, especially in the evening, with some intense storms locally. At night, they will spread to more regions.

All this with a temporary rise in temperatures inland and in the northern half, with a possible rise in the mercury in the northwest. On the other hand, thermometers will drop slightly in the south of the country. A warm and practically summery atmosphere, but without the extremes of recent days. Many highs will range between 27°C and 33°C.

Weather change Wednesday

The passage of a pocket of cold air will bring greater instability for Wednesday. The showers that will arrive from the west starting Tuesday night may spread during the early hours and Wednesday morning to more regions in an easterly direction, although it will not rain everywhere, by any means. The weather will remain changeable for the rest of the day, with renewed showers and afternoon thunderstorms in the northeast, the Pyrenees, and Els Ports.

All of this will be accompanied by a drop in temperatures, which will again be more pronounced inland. Much more heat will be maintained during the day and cooler temperatures at night. This drop in temperatures will bottom out on Thursday, but from Friday onwards and throughout the weekend, calm and sunny weather will return, with a heat that will once again be fully summery and clearly above average.

Record-breaking heat and severe storms

Temperatures soared between Thursday and Sunday, with a scorching peak on Friday that saw many highs of 30 to 35°C. Some coastal areas even reached over 30°C, a rare occurrence in May. However, the mercury soared the most in Ponent and inland Ebro, with temperatures between 36 and 37°C and several heat records. Of note were the 37.5°C in Alcarràs (Segrià)—the highest maximum recorded in May in this municipality with more than 20 years of data—the 37.4°C in Torres de Segre, and the 36.8°C in the Ribarroja reservoir (a record). Record temperatures were also set at sea, specifically in l'Estartit (Baix Empordà), where local observer Josep Pascual reported that sea water temperatures reached 20.8°C on Friday, the highest figure recorded for a month of May in half a century of records.

In addition to the heat, severe storms also made the news over the weekend. During the afternoon and evening of Saturday, heavy showers fell in some areas, sometimes accompanied by hail or stones. Of note were 25 l/m² in Guardiola de Berguedà, 16 in Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Ripollès), and 14 in the Sanctuary of Queralt (Berguedà). On Sunday, storms returned to the northern half of the country, where 30 l/m² accumulated in Olot (Garrotxa) and 27 in Molló (Ripollès), with large stones in some cases. The historic hailstorm in Santa Pau (Garrotxa) was particularly notable, with stones measuring nearly 5 centimeters in diameter. Showers were repeated this Monday in regions of the northern and western half.