Verbena in the heat of the dog days

BarcelonaThe tail end of a worn-out front, the heat, and a slight drop in atmospheric pressure led to the formation of storm clouds this Sunday afternoon, which locally brought heavy downpours and abundant rainfall to Berguedà and Solsonès, among other regions. Accumulations of up to 50 l/m are noted.² in Guardiola de Berguedà.

Highs reached 38°C again in Lleida and Tremp, with values above 36°C in many regions of central Catalonia, the south, and the pre-coastal area.

On Monday, the mercury will rise again, and until after Sant Joan, we will continue with stifling heat and plenty of sunshine, but with afternoon showers and thunderstorms in some areas (less intense and widespread), awaiting a generally placid and warm festival.

You will find all the rainfall data and heat records at the end of this report.

The pre-festival will be calm, with a serene morning and some residual low clouds or fog in the valleys of Central Catalonia or the Pre-Pyrenees. As the day progresses, the weather will be very calm. Clouds will gather again at midday and during the afternoon, but showers will be shorter-lived and the storms less intense than those on Sunday. The night of the San Juan festival will be very placid and warm, with the afternoon showers in the north of the country disappearing. This means there's no need to suffer through the festivities and outdoor dining, as no rain is expected.

San Juan with more heat

Both Tuesday and Wednesday, the African warm air pocket will continue to hover over us, and the heat will be intense, with the possibility of reaching 40°C again in the West. Suffocating temperatures will be present everywhere, with markedly muggy conditions along the coast, tropical nights in many places, and locally torrid lows along some coastal stretches. Temperatures will remain very high at least until Wednesday, but the heat will become more bearable afterward. In the city of Barcelona, temperatures could reach 32°C, with a very low feeling of comfort due to the sticky heat.

The first 40 °C are reached on the first day of summer

This Saturday was the warmest day so far this year in many parts of Ponent, with 40°C recorded in Segrià. Summer has begun with overwhelming heat, more typical of the dog days of July or August. The day was marked by the first 40°C temperatures of the summer season. The thermometer rose to 40°C in Segrià and to 38°C and 39°C in Pallars Jussà, La Noguera, and Pla d'Urgell. Inland Girona and Central Catalonia, temperatures reached nearly 38°C. The highest values were:

• Alcarràs: 40.1 °C
• Torres de Segre: 39.6 °C
• Lleida-La Femosa: 39.3 °C
• Serazo: 39.2 °C
• Mollerussa: 38.3 °C
• Temp: 38.2 °C
• Artes: 37 °C
• Girona: 37 °C
• Vine: 37 °C
• Espolla: 36.6 °C
• Castellbisbal: 36 °C
• Vallirana: 35.7 °C

These days also saw the first torrid nights recorded in several neighborhoods of Barcelona, ​​​​with minimum temperatures that did not drop below 25 °C. And a new water temperature record has been registered, in this case in Lake Banyoles, where the 27.55 °C measured on Friday by observer Josep Pascual is the highest value for a month of June since data began being collected in 2000. This record adds to the high of 25.2 °C recorded at this time of year.

Sunday's storm report

The storms have spread to several regions and have slightly cooled the sweltering weather of the past few hours. Locally, there have been some showers. Some notable records:

• Guardiola de Berguedà: 50 l/m²
• Montesquiu: 44 l/m²
• Oris: 35 l/m²
• Solsona: 35 l/m²
• Panadella: 14 l/m²