The Three Kings will bring very cold weather and snow at low altitudes: which parades might it snow on?

BarcelonaThe weather is one of the main protagonists of these holidays. After the strong winds during Christmas week, we now have a long weekend for Three Kings Day that will also bring significant changes. On the one hand, the storm... Francis It will approach our area and increase instability by bringing moisture from the Mediterranean. On the other hand, we will have an incursion of very cold air of Arctic origin that will cause temperatures and the snow level to plummet.

Therefore, precipitation will arrive which, combined with the intense cold, will fall as snow at very low elevations, especially on Monday, the day of the Three Kings' Day parades. Their Majesties will bring us a harsh winter atmosphere and surprises in the form of snow in some areas. A situation reminiscent of the snowfall on the eve of Three Kings' Day in 1985, when many parades were blanketed in white. But where and when might it snow this time?

First snow showers at low elevations this weekend

We started the weekend with a generally cloudy Saturday, with a few light showers. This Sunday, the Arctic air mass will begin to move in more decisively, bringing colder temperatures everywhere. This will cause the snow level to drop significantly, especially in the western half of the country due to the channeling of cold air through the Ebro Valley. In these areas, snow was already seen below 500 meters from the afternoon onwards, and by the end of the day at 100-200 meters. Light and scattered precipitation was expected, mainly in the Ebro Valley, western Catalonia, and central Catalonia, as well as in the Valencian Community. In fact, Meteocat (the Catalan Meteorological Service) had already issued the first snow alerts above 200 meters on Sunday night.

Horseback riding without rain

The main wave of precipitation will arrive throughout the early hours and morning of Monday, with a significant drop in the snow level. Snow is possible at all elevations inland, and between 200 and 400 meters along the coast and pre-coastal areas. However, if precipitation occurs during the night of Three Kings' Day (January 6th), it could snow right up to the coastline. In fact, what is guaranteed in this situation is the cold and the lowering of the snow level, but the precipitation seems to be concentrated in the morning, and during the afternoon and evening, it should not fall anywhere. According to current weather maps, the precipitation will move from west to central Spain in the early morning, generally scattered and light, and could affect the Lleida plain, the Terres de l'Ebre region, Central Catalonia, the central and southern pre-coastal areas, and the entire interior of the Valencian Community. It is in these areas where snowfall is possible, although in many cases we will be talking about flakes rather than accumulation on the ground. Therefore, by the time of the parades, there will no longer be snowfall in Catalonia. It will also snow in many parts of the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands at very low elevations. However, little precipitation is expected to reach the north of the country. This situation presents a degree of uncertainty, which we will continue to update and monitor closely.

Beyond the snow, the cold will be intense. We'll need to bundle up to welcome the Three Kings in the streets of every town and city. It seems that Three Kings' Day will be sunnier and calmer, but with a harsh winter atmosphere everywhere. In the high Pyrenees, temperatures could reach or exceed -15 or -20 °C. This cold will be accompanied by northerly winds at the extremes.