The heatwave gives no respite the first weekend of August

Although temperatures dropped slightly yesterday in the interior and the northern half of the country, July once again said goodbye with a lot of heat. On Friday, temperatures again reached 40°C in inland areas, such as Solsona, in more localized spots. The novelty was the reappearance of showers and thunderstorms in the Pyrenees, Pre-Pyrenees, and Ports, with lightning strikes that even caused some forest fires. This Saturday we will repeat a situation similar to Friday's, while on Sunday there will be a new scorching peak. Therefore, August begins this weekend with the continuity of a heatwave that is particularly affecting the interior and which will continue next week. All this after closing July ends as the hottest in history and one of the driest on record in Catalonia. This week it is worth highlighting that on Thursday, up to five absolute heat records were broken at stations in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees with more than twenty years of Meteocat data.

Saturday: new afternoon showers

Temperatures will remain similar or without major changes on the first day of August. The night has once again been mild to warm in many regions and cool in mountainous areas. Many tropical minimums have been repeated, and torrid near the sea and in the south. As for the maximums, they may decrease slightly in the north and inland areas of the country, while they will rise in Alt Empordà and nearby areas. Be that as it may, it will continue to be very hot in general and noticeably muggy on the coast. Many values will range between 33 °C and 38 °C in the pre-coastal and inland areas, slightly higher in parts of Ponent, where heat alerts remain active.

The sun will combine with some traces of clouds and suspended dust, while in the afternoon showers and storms will repeat in parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, especially the eastern, without ruling out some downpours with hail. Showers are also expected in the Ports area that may reach the Ebro in weakened form. Meteocat has activated the alert for intense rain in several counties in these areas.

Sunday: new heatwave

Thermometers will take another step forward and a new peak of intense heat will occur. Many highs of 35 °C to 40 °C are expected in the pre-coastal areas and inland, the highest in Ponent. Another suffocating day in general and muggy near the sea, which will be accompanied by plenty of sun and calm, as well as suspended dust. Afternoon showers will decrease and only a few minor ones will fall in parts of the Pyrenees and the Ports.

Without a clear end to the intense heat

The intense heat episode we are experiencing seems to be extending longer than expected, for practically the entire next week. Thermometers will experience some ups and downs, but will always remain above average, and will exceed heat thresholds in inland regions, where this new and long heatwave will persist. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, showers could reach more regions in the northern half on a temporary basis.