Weekend impasse: countdown to the return of the sweltering heat

BarcelonaAfternoon showers and thunderstorms reappeared this Friday, the first day of August. In fact, they could continue to fall in parts of the northeast, especially between Montseny and the eastern Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, with some strong storms, so Meteocat maintains some alerts for heavy rain for both today and tomorrow (you can find the storm data at the end of this report). And the weather will be unfavorable this weekend. On Saturday, scattered showers could fall in the early morning and early morning in coastal areas and the central and northeastern pre-coastal areas. In the afternoon, some irregular showers or thunderstorms will be repeated in the same areas as on Friday.

Starting Sunday, and especially in the days following, the weather will be calmer. And beware of the heat, as it will still be bearable this weekend, but next week it will soar and we'll return to the full sweltering atmosphere, especially towards the west. Parts of the Iberian Peninsula will experience a heat wave, but this time Catalonia will be spared, although temperatures will be well above average.

Saturday: some showers

The weather will remain unstable in some regions on Saturday. During the early hours and morning, scattered showers may occur in coastal and pre-coastal areas around Barcelona and in the northeast of the country. However, sunny and calm weather will prevail throughout the day in the southern half and many inland regions.

In the afternoon, cloud cover will gather, leaving new patchy showers in the pre-coastal and inland areas of the Girona region, north of Barcelona, in the eastern Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, and inland areas of Valencia. Once again, some locally intense thunderstorms may occur.

Temperatures will drop in the northeast and rise in the south, with summery warmth far from extremes. Many highs of 25 to 30°C are expected, highest in the West and inland areas of the south. The night will be slightly tropical near the sea, but cool to mild elsewhere. Mistral and tramontana winds at the extremes until early afternoon.

Sunday: calmer

The weather won't clear completely on Sunday, but the risk of rain will be lower. Cloudy patches will continue to appear on the central coast and pre-coastal areas and nearby areas, with some morning showers possible. In the afternoon, new clouds will gather in mountain areas, but will only leave isolated showers in the Pyrenees or Pre-Pyrenees. Temperatures will rise further, with a warm and muggy atmosphere like midsummer, but not extremes.

Intense heat returns.

Next week will be marked by the arrival of a warmer air mass from the south, which will send temperatures soaring. It will be much warmer, with a truly sweltering atmosphere and temperatures as high as 4 or 5 degrees above average, especially starting Tuesday in the West. A few days of mild temperatures or occasional highs of 40°C are not ruled out in this area, while temperatures in the rest of the country will not rise as much.

Nights will be heavier and more difficult to sleep in throughout the week, not just on the coast. In addition, the mugginess will be more intense along the coast and pre-coast. In short, all the ingredients of the hottest days of the dog days, although aside from the heat wave that will be experienced in the central and southwestern parts of the Iberian Peninsula. This situation will last for several days, and no rain is in sight.

Friday afternoon storm forecast

The storms this Friday afternoon were locally intense, leaving up to 32 l/m² in Molló, in the Ripollès region. Also notable were 19 l/m² in Sant Pau de Segúries, 13 l/m² in Banyoles, and 12 l/m² in the Bas Valley.