Torrid weekend: the first heat wave of the summer arrives

BarcelonaTemperatures dropped slightly yesterday, Thursday, with more bearable heat, especially in the northeast and other areas where Wednesday's peak temperatures were scorching. However, temperatures again exceeded 35 or 36°C in several areas along the pre-coastal and inland areas. Only 37°C was reached or exceeded locally inland Ebro and Ponent, far from the extremes of recent days. This represents a brief respite before the return of extreme heat, as temperatures will steadily rise starting this Friday.

The arrival of a new, very warm air mass from North Africa will pave the way for a scorching weekend that will last at least until next Tuesday, bringing sustained, extraordinarily high temperatures. It will be the first heat wave of the year in many regions, especially towards Ponent and the Ebro Valley. All with sunshine, more pulse in suspension, and sleepless nights that will gain ground.

Friday: hotter

Nighttime temperatures have been similar or slightly lower, with new tropical lows in coastal and pre-coastal areas, and we've also had some scorching lows—above 25°C—in the city of Barcelona. Highs will rise slightly, especially inland. Many highs will hover between 32 and 37°C, but in the West, temperatures could once again reach or exceed 38°C. The temperature on the coast won't rise as much, but the muggy weather will be marked.

All on a bright sunny Friday to take advantage of. No precipitation is expected anywhere, with only a few afternoon clouds gathering in mountainous areas in the north of the country, which will have no further impact. The north wind will continue until midday in the northern Empordà region.

Heat wave begins this weekend

The heat will become increasingly intense over the weekend, especially on Sunday. Temperatures will reach or exceed 40°C in the West Bank and inland Ebro, while much of the country will see highs of between 35 and 39°C. Even on the coast, temperatures above 30°C could reach a very muggy temperature. This persistent situation will last until Tuesday or Wednesday, which will give rise to the first heat wave of the year in our country, particularly affecting the Lleida plain and the Ebro Valley.

Until now, we have had scorching heat or peaks of one or two days, but this time there will be three or more days with extreme values, a requirement for a heat wave. Meteocat has already activated a heat wave alert for Saturday in the West Bank and inland Ebro regions.

All with radiant sunshine and a lot of calm, thanks to the subtropical anticyclone that will embrace us these days and that at its peak will leave temperatures of more than 25 °C at 1,500 meters above sea level, a very high value at these levels. The fact that there will be more hours of sunshine will also help temperatures rise. And pay attention at night, as they will be difficult to sleep with tropical or torrid lows that will spread to many places.

New heat records

Despite the brief drop in temperatures in the last few hours, the early hours of Wednesday into Thursday were warm in coastal and pre-coastal areas, reaching some records. For example, the Aemet station at El Prat Airport recorded a low of 24.9°C, the highest for a June in 100 years of records. Girona Airport also recorded its highest low in June since records began in 1973, at 21.1°C.