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

BarcelonaWe leave behind a June that has been historic, The warmest thing on record in our houseIn fact, the last day of the month set new heat records, both on land and at sea (you'll find all the data at the end of this report). And temperatures will remain very high and even rise a few degrees today, the first day of July. A heat wave that will last somewhat longer than expected, with repeated sleepless nights and highs of over 40°C in the most sweltering areas. Starting Wednesday and Thursday, temperatures will gradually drop, but we won't notice the drop until the weekend and the beginning of next week, when the atmosphere will be more breathable and showers will gain ground in some regions. Therefore, the countdown has already begun to say goodbye to this exceptional episode of extreme heat, although we'll still have a few days of sweating to do.

Tuesday: Unbridled heat

Tonight was once again a night of poor sleep in many regions, with fairly widespread tropical lows and torrid temperatures in stretches of the coast. However, in the Pyrenees and northern inland, it was cooler, especially where it rained yesterday. Warm at night, but especially during the day. Highs will even rise slightly on the southern coast and in the pre-coastal region. Absolutely unbridled heat, with between 40 and 43°C in the West Coast and the southern inland region. In the rest of the pre-coastal region and inland, highs will reach 34 to 39°C, with some local temperatures reaching 40°C. On 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 yesterday, 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 very hot weather will continue on Wednesday and Thursday. We'll lose a few degrees, but in practice, we won't notice much of this change. The very warm, summer-like atmosphere will continue, far north of the country. We'll have to see how far the rain lasts, as there are areas where it hasn't rained a drop in 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 recorded its highest temperature in June (37.9°C). A historic day in the Catalan capital, and also the warmest day recorded in June 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 yesterday off the coast of Estartit stands out, the highest temperature recorded in June at this location. These records are added to those achieved in recent weeks throughout the country. And the final monthly report confirms that This June, which we are leaving behind, has been the warmest on record in Catalonia as a whole., above the torrid Junes of 2003 and 2022.

Yesterday, Monday, temperatures exceeded 40°C again in Ponent, Priorat, and the interior of the Ebro River. And for another day, temperatures exceeded 42°C in Vinebre, in the Ribera d'Ebre region. These are the highest temperatures recorded yesterday:

• 42.3°C: 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, on Monday, a bit more cold air moved in from altitude, which, in contrast to the intense heat, brought showers and heavy thunderstorms to the eastern Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees and central Catalonia, particularly in regions such as Osona, Garrotxa, and Berguedà. In some cases, downpours of rain fell, accompanied by hail or stones, leaving local amounts of over 20 l/m². Of note were the 50 l/m² accumulated in Castellar de n'Hug (Berguedà), the 33 l/m² in Cantonigròs (Osona), the 24 l/m² in Canós (Segarra), and the 21 l/m² in Vallter. Despite the heat wave, where it is raining heavily, temperatures are clearly plummeting and cooling off.