Another busy and changing week due to the progress on several fronts

BarcelonaWe're starting the week with another snowfall across the Pyrenees. This latest episode is mainly affecting the northern slopes and the High Pyrenees, but it has also hit the southern slopes. Therefore, this Monday all the Pyrenean valleys are once again blanketed in snow, from Ripollès to Vall d'Aran. The 20 cm of fresh snow accumulated in Puigcerdà, in the Cerdanya region (1,200 m), is particularly noteworthy.

You need a well-equipped vehicle to drive in the Pyrenees today. It's a northerly snowfall that will weaken throughout the day, becoming concentrated on the northern slopes and disappearing completely after midday. All of this is accompanied by strong winds that have produced gusts of over 70 or 80 km/h last night in coastal and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Tarragona, north of the Empordà region, and on the Pyrenean peaks, where there's a blizzard. But locally, the winds were even stronger, reaching 116 km/h at Puig Sesolles (1,600 m elevation in Montseny), 107 km/h at El Perelló (Baix Ebre), 105 km/h at El Vendrell (Baix Penedès) and Constantí (Tarragonès), 99 km/h at Portbou (Alt Alt), and 93 km/h at Hospitalet de l'Infant (Baix Camp). These winds will also decrease throughout the day, with calmer conditions overall, although some showers are expected from the west in the afternoon. This week will continue to see the passage of Atlantic fronts, keeping the weather unsettled and changeable, with a bit of everything.

All this after a weekend of unpredictable weather. Following rain and snow at relatively low elevations on a harsh winter Saturday, the passage of a new front on Sunday afternoon brought a series of showers and thunderstorms, locally accompanied by hail, although they moved through at high speed. Notable rainfall totals included 8 liters per square meter.² in the city of Barcelona (university area), 5 l/m² in Tàrrega, 3 l/m² in Ódena and 2 l/m² in Castellbisbal. The storms also brought strong gusts of wind, notably 75 km/h in the port of Barcelona.

Monday: snow in the Pyrenees and wind

Monday morning will be sunny with westerly to mistral winds in many areas, with moderate to strong gusts along the central and southern coast and pre-coastal areas, in northern Empordà, and at higher elevations in the Pyrenees. Snow will continue to fall throughout the Pyrenees during the morning, although as the day progresses it will become concentrated on the northern slopes and the Alt Pirineu. Meteocat maintains a warning for snow accumulations of up to 10 cm above 900 m, especially in the Lleida Pyrenees.

Despite the morning sunshine in most areas, the weather will change again in the afternoon due to the approach of a new front. Cloud cover will increase from west to east, and some very light and scattered showers are expected in the Lleida region and the interior of the Ebro valley. Nothing major. However, the snow level will rise, from 800 meters in the morning to 1,600 or 1,800 meters in the afternoon. Temperatures will rise slightly, especially along the coast, with many areas reaching highs of 12 to 16 °C.

Beware of avalanche risk: today the avalanche danger It's rated 4 (out of 5) across much of the Pyrenees. Conditions are critical and dangerous in uncontrolled areas, and any off-piste skiing or snowshoeing requires extreme caution and experience.

A busy week with new fronts

Models indicate that the weather will remain very changeable and unsettled this week due to the passage of new Atlantic fronts. The most active day will be Tuesday, with the passage of a more active front bringing rain across the region. The day will be marked by cloud cover, with more snow in the Pyrenees, especially on the southern slopes. From the afternoon onwards, rain may reach other parts of the region. It will generally be light, although locally moderate in the Pyrenees and western Pre-Pyrenees. The snow level will be around 1,800 m during the morning and will gradually descend throughout the afternoon, settling around 1,200 m in the Pyrenees and western Pre-Pyrenees, and around 1,400 m in the rest of the northern third of the region. A new front will bring further wind to many areas.

Saturday's snowfall totals:

• Nuria (1,971 m): 38 cm
• Ulldeter (2,500 m): 30 cm
• Cool: 23 cm
• Port del Comte (2,290 m): 20 cm
• Alp: 15 cm
• Villalonga de Ter: 15 cm
• Montmajor: 16 cm
• Meadows: 13 cm
• Castellterçol: 10 cm
• Sant Guim de Freixenet: 10 cm
• Collsuspina: 8 cm
• Castellcir: 8 cm
• Cervera: 4 cm
• Solsona: 4 cm