The heat will intensify over the weekend with showers in the Pyrenees.

BarcelonaWe're on the cusp of a weekend in which the mercury will rise sharply, especially starting Sunday, when we'll be able to talk about the second heat wave of the summer in the Western regions. In the rest of the country, the heat will be very intense, but below the thresholds established for this phenomenon. Afternoon showers will reappear in the Pyrenees, especially in the western sector, but the sun will gain ground in the rest of the country. All this, with very high maximums and poor nights of sleep (you'll find the data on the highest temperatures reached so far at the end of this report).

Saturday: Mercury temporarily stabilizes

The first day of the weekend will be marked by stability and calm, with some low clouds again at both ends of the coast and passing high clouds elsewhere. In addition, afternoon showers will recur in the Pyrenees, with accumulations that could exceed 10 or 15 l/m² in regions such as Alta Ribagorça. Maximum temperatures are expected to reach 40°C in some areas of the West Coast, especially in Segrià.

Sunday: the heat intensifies

Sunday's temperature increase will be especially evident in northern Catalonia and the Girona region, with highs that could reach or exceed 38 or 39°C in these areas. This situation will also be repeated in the West and inland parts of the Ebro Valley, where these high temperatures have been occurring for days. In the rest of the country, the intense heat will continue, with more sunshine and some afternoon clouds in the western half of the country and the western Pyrenees, again with the risk of irregular showers.

A heat wave with a face and eyes in Ponent

The warm air mass from the south, which will send temperatures soaring, will be with us for at least the entire first half of August, with highs exceeding 39°C or 40°C for several days in a row in the West and the Ebro Valley. Elsewhere, the heat will also be intense, with highs of 35°C to 38°C inland and 30°C to 34°C on the coast. The mercury could reach its highest values especially during the first half of next week, with a tendency to stabilize or cool slightly starting Wednesday.

Nighttime temperatures will also continue to rise, and tropical nights will become widespread along the coast and pre-coast, also reaching other inland areas. Some torrid nights will even be recorded along the central coast.

Heat balance

Temperatures began to rise noticeably on Monday, but increased further on Tuesday, when some of the highest values of the episode were recorded. After a brief lull between Wednesday and Thursday, this Friday temperatures again exceeded 38 or 39°C in some places, especially in Ponent. These are the most notable temperatures of this new episode of intense heat:

• Vinebre: 39.8°C
• Temp: 39.3 °C
• Lleida - La Femosa: 39.2 °C
• Oliola: 39.1 °C
• Torroja del Priorat: 39.0 °C
• Baldomar: 38.8 °C
• Alcarràs and La Pobla de Segur: 38.7 °C
• El Masroig and Torres de Segre: 38.6 °C
• Ribarroja and Albesa Reservoir: 38.5 °C
• Benissanet: 38.2 °C
• The cube: 38.0 °C