Heatwave alert that will last almost all week

BarcelonaThe meteorological chronicle has, for weeks, been a simple collection of heat, sun, and more heat, with practically no new developments or notable changes. This weekend has not broken this monotony, with heat that has been intensifying and will do so even more during this new week. On Sunday, temperatures already approached 40 ºC inland, and this night has been tropical in many places, and torrid in coastal stretches, highlighting the 28.5 ºC minimum in Portbou (Alt Empordà) due to the reheated tramuntana wind, or the 27.6 ºC in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona. The temperature will continue its relentless rise, which has multiplied the alerts for intense heat in many regions by Meteocat. The alerts extend throughout the country, and are red - the maximum possible danger - especially on Wednesday. The second heatwave of the summer is here, and it will be long and suffocating, as it will last for almost the entire week.

As happened less than two weeks ago, we will once again have several consecutive days with many highs of 35°C to 40°C inland, higher in torrid areas, such as Ponent and the Ebro valley, marked mugginess on the coast, and sleepless nights that will become widespread. The most suffocating days will be Tuesday and Wednesday and, although from the middle of the week the thermometers will drop a little, we will continue with values clearly above average at least until the middle of the month. The anticyclone will continue to embrace us for quite a few days, with no unstable moment on the horizon in most of the territory.

Monday: sweltering heat

The heatwave will approach its peak this Monday, with maximum temperatures of 40 °C in various inland areas, especially in Ponent and the Ebro valley, a thermal milestone that until relatively few years ago was difficult to reach, but which is now common during practically every summer. On the coast, maximum temperatures will range between 30 °C and 35 °C, with more controlled heat but very heavy sultriness. The night has also been difficult to sleep again everywhere, with tropical minimums in many places and torrid in stretches of the coast, especially on the central coast due to the heat island effect and in Alt Empordà due to the heated Tramuntana wind.

Tuesday: maximums of 42 or 43 °C

Few changes for Tuesday, with the sun maintaining its absolute prominence, although, as a novelty, some clouds will grow in the Pyrenees. However, no rain is expected. This dry context will continue to be accompanied by heat, which will be even a little more intense, with maximums in Ponent and the Ebro interior that could approach 43 °C. On the coast, the mercury will rise especially during the morning and midday, while in the afternoon the sea breeze will slightly cool the mercury, but with more intense mugginess.

Intense heat will not leave

The temperature will still climb further between Tuesday and Wednesday, when we will reach the peak of this new heatwave episode. Nevertheless, subsequently, no significant thermal drop is foreseen that could help to cool the atmosphere. In fact, all meteorological models agree on keeping the temperature well above the climatic average, at least, throughout the first fortnight of July.