Torrid weekend: the first heat wave of the summer arrives

BarcelonaTemperatures have dropped slightly, and this Thursday the heat was more bearable, especially in the northeast and other areas where yesterday saw a peak of extreme heat. A small respite before the return of extreme heat, as starting this Friday, thermometers will rise continuously. It will be the first heat wave of this year in many regions, especially towards the West and the Ebro Valley. All this with sun, more dust in suspension, and nights of poor sleep that will gain ground.

Friday: hotter

Nighttime temperatures will be similar or slightly lower, with new tropical lows in parts of the southern interior, along the coast, and along the pre-coast, and we will also have some torrid lows—above 25°C—in some coastal areas. Highs will already rise slightly, especially inland. Many highs will hover between 32 and 37°C, but in the West, temperatures may once again reach or exceed 38°C. The temperature will not rise as much on the coast, but the muggy conditions 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 drop in temperatures on Monday, the night was warm in coastal and pre-coastal areas, reaching some records. For example, the Aemet station at El Prat Airport recorded a minimum of 24.9°C, the highest for a June in 100 years of records. Girona Airport also recorded its highest minimum temperature in June since records began in 1973, with 21.1°C.