We take a breath today: another episode of extreme heat is on the horizon.

BarcelonaThe heat peaked yesterday in the northeast of the country, with temperatures soaring above 40°C in the Alt Empordà region and breaking several records. In fact, the municipality of Cabanes recorded the highest high of the year in Catalonia so far, at 40.9°C (you'll find all the updated heat data at the end of this report). This unbridled heat eased a bit in the West yesterday, and temperatures will drop everywhere this Thursday.

The arrival of a slight northerly and mistral wind will lower the mercury today, with sunshine and calm weather generally. But this brief respite will be short-lived, as on Friday and especially over the weekend, the heat will soar again, reaching or exceeding 40°C in the hottest areas of the country. In fact, Aemet warns that much of the Iberian Peninsula will experience its first heat wave of the year between Saturday and Tuesday, also affecting some regions of Catalonia.

Thursday: more bearable heat

Nighttime temperatures were generally similar, but soared in parts of the Empordà region due to the overheated north wind, with some torrid lows—over 25°C—such as in Roses. Barcelona also experienced its umpteenth torrid night. Inland, people slept well, while closer to the coast, there were more tropical lows. Today, a small pocket of cold air will indirectly affect us, bringing this mistral and north wind to the Ebro and the Empordà regions. A northerly wind will lower temperatures, especially in central and northern parts of the country where the past few hours have been scorching. Less extreme heat, with many highs of 32 to 37°C, without exceeding the 39 or 40°C of recent days.

A drop in temperature that will not prevent the atmosphere from remaining in the midst of summer. All sunny and calm, with the presence of suspended dust that will decrease. In the afternoon, clouds will gather in mountainous areas, leaving at most a few scattered, weak drops or sprinkles in the eastern Pyrenees. Minor nuances on a day to be made the most of. The north wind will blow all day in the Empordà, but the mistral will disappear around midday.

Extreme heat will return in the coming days

Starting Friday, we'll leave this brief respite behind, and extreme heat will reappear. Temperatures will rise especially over the weekend, particularly in Ponent and the Ebro Valley. In these areas, highs will once again reach or exceed 40°C, while these figures will hardly be reached in the rest of the country.

This episode will likely be the first heat wave of 2025 in many parts of the Iberian Peninsula, with the hottest temperatures so far this year. So far, we've had sustained heat or scorching peaks that have lasted a couple of days. But this time, we're on the verge of extreme temperatures that will last at least three consecutive days in some places, a necessary condition for declaring a heat wave. We'll have to confirm all of this. No rain is in sight.

Balance of Wednesday's torrid peak

After a San Juan (Saint John's Day) that was the warmest day of the year so far across the country, temperatures soared in the northeast on Wednesday due to the superheated southerly wind. A scorching peak that raised thermometers slightly above 40°C in the Alt Empordà, and many towns in the Girona region recorded highs of 37 to 40°C. The municipality of Cabanes (Alt Empordà) reached 40.9°C, the highest high so far this year in Catalonia. This unbridled and extraordinary heat broke records at four Meteocat stations with more than 20 years of data. Never before since records began had it been so hot on a June day in Cabanes, Torroella de Fluvià, and Sant Pere Pescador (Alt Empordà) and in Viladecans (Baix Llobregat).

Temperatures also exceeded 35°C again in many areas of the pre-coastal and inland areas, especially in the pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Central Catalonia. The Fabra Observatory in the Catalan capital yesterday experienced the second warmest day in June in its 111-year data series, exceeding the maximum recorded on Sant Joan, but below the 2019 record. However, the mercury dropped in the West due to the presence of more cloudy periods and some raindrops. These are the highest highs of this Wednesday.

• 40.9 °C: Cabins
• 40.3 °C: Darnius-Boadella Reservoir
• 39.7 °C: Figueres
• 39.5 °C: Banyoles
• 39.2 °C: Torroella de Fluvià
• 39 °C: Navata
• 38.9 °C: Fornells de la Selva
• 38.8 °C: Montmell and Maçanet de Cabrenys
• 38.6 °C: Girona (Aemet) and St. Paloma F.
• 38.5 °C: Espolla
• 38.2 °C: San Sadurní de Anoia