Torrid start to July: When will the heat wave end?

BarcelonaThe last day of June has once again been scorching, setting new heat records, both on land and at sea (you'll find all the details at the end of this report). Temperatures will remain very high and even rise a few degrees further on Tuesday, the first day of July. This heat wave will last until Wednesday, with repeated sleepless nights and highs of over 40°C in the most sweltering areas. But the good news is that starting Thursday, temperatures will finally begin to drop, although they will still be very warm. Between the weekend and the beginning of next week, however, the weather will be more breathable, and there will be a risk of showers in more regions. Therefore, the countdown has already begun to say goodbye to this exceptional episode of extreme heat.

Tuesday: Unbridled heat

Tonight will again be a night of poor sleep in many regions, with widespread tropical lows and torrid temperatures in parts of the coast. Warm temperatures will be expected at night, but especially during the day. Highs will even rise slightly on the southern coast and in the pre-coastal region. Unbridled heat, with temperatures between 40 and 43°C in the West Coast and the southern interior. In the rest of the pre-coastal region and inland, highs will reach 34 to 39°C, with some local temperatures reaching 40°C. Along the coast, highs of 30 to 35°C will be repeated, with very marked muggy conditions. Meteocat maintains numerous daytime and nighttime heat alerts.

All of this will be very calm and sunny in the morning, with further afternoon clouds expected, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms to parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees. However, they will also reach other inland and northern coastal areas. As was the case on Monday, they will be strong locally and may be accompanied by hail or stones, leaving real downpours. Elsewhere, the weather will remain sunny and calm.

Last days of the heat wave

The generally intense heat will continue on Wednesday, but temperatures will begin to drop starting Thursday. The warm, summer-like atmosphere will continue, but without the extremes of recent days. There will be storms beyond the north of the country. We'll have to see how far the rain will go, as there are areas where it hasn't rained a drop for over a month.

Heat wave data and records

The heat continues to break records. The Fabra Observatory in Barcelona closes out the warmest June in its 112-year history, and on Monday it recorded its highest temperature in June (37.9°C). A historic day in the Catalan capital, and also the warmest June recorded in Viladecans and the Garraf Natural Park, according to Meteocat data. But the heat wave is also breaking records at sea: the 24.5°C recorded today off the coast of Estartit stands out, the highest temperature ever recorded in June at this location. These records are added to those achieved in recent weeks across the country. And while we await the final monthly report, this June, which we are now leaving behind, will most likely have been the warmest on record in Catalonia, surpassing the torrid Junes of 2003 and 2022.

This Monday, temperatures exceeded 40ºC again in Ponent, Priorat, and the Ebro River. And for yet another day, temperatures exceeded 42ºC in Vinebre, in the Ribera d'Ebre region. These are the highest temperatures recorded today:

• 42.3ºC: Llimiana
• 42.2 ºC: Vinebre
• 41.4 ºC: Ribarroja Reservoir
• 40.8 ºC: Torres de Segre
• 40.7 ºC: Alguaire and Baldomar
• 40.6 ºC: Torroja del Priorat
• 40.6 ºC: Lleida-la Femosa
• 40.5 ºC: Ascó and Almadraba de Seana
• 40.5 ºC: Gimenells and Lleida (Aemet)
• 40.3 ºC: Segre trough

Beyond the warmth, this Monday saw a slight increase in cold air from altitude, which, in contrast to the intense heat, caused showers and thunderstorms, locally heavy, in the eastern Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, and in central Catalonia, especially in regions such as Osona, Garrotxa, and Berguedà. In some cases, there were real downpours, accompanied by hail or stones, leaving local amounts of more than 20 l/m². Of note were the 50 l/m² accumulated in Castellar de n'Hug (Berguedà), the 33 in Cantonigròs (Osona), the 24 in Canós (Segarra), and the 21 in Vallter. Where it rains heavily, temperatures plummet and cool down significantly.