Without a clear end to the suffocating heat and sleepless nights

BarcelonaThe heat gives no respite and yesterday, despite the thermometer dropping in many regions, the fully sweltering atmosphere continued, with very marked mugginess on the coast. Only in areas of the Pyrenees, the northeast interior, and the central pre-coastal region did it cool down more thanks to afternoon showers and thunderstorms which, in some cases, were accompanied by hail or ice pellets. For example, the heavy downpour that yesterday left 70 l/m² in Santa Coloma de Farners (Selva) suddenly dropped the mercury from almost 36 ºC maximum to 18 ºC. In Camprodon (Ripollès) more than 45 l/m² accumulated.

Temperatures dropped last night, mainly thanks to the generally clearer skies. However, many tropical minimums were repeated, while some were torrid in coastal areas. Notable are the minimum of 27.4 ºC in Espolla (Alt Empordà) due to the warmed tramuntana wind, and 27.3 ºC in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona due to the heat island effect. These sleepless nights will continue in various locations in the coming days, especially near the sea.

Today thermometers will rise slightly, but on Wednesday they will drop, coinciding with the start of July, thanks to the strengthening of the north wind. An attempt at normalizing mercury that will not last long, as in the second half of the week temperatures will rise again and suffocating heat will return, with 40 ºC inland. No clear end is in sight for these exceptionally high values.

Tuesday: heavy night and more heat

This night has once again been mild or warm in many places, with many tropical minimums. Nevertheless, they have decreased compared to Monday because there has been less cloudiness than the previous night. In coastal areas, torrid minimums - above 25 °C - have been repeated locally, especially in the city of Barcelona and the north of the Costa Brava due to the re-heated tramuntana wind. Meteocat maintains alerts for nighttime heat on the coast and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Girona until at least Wednesday.

The highs will temporarily rise this last day of June, with many values between 32 and 38°C, even reaching 40°C in Ponent or the Ebro valley. There are active alerts for daytime heat on the southern coast, between Garraf and Montsià. Another suffocating day that will be accompanied by sun and calm, but in the afternoon, clouds will grow again in the north of the country, leaving new showers and irregular thunderstorms. They will mainly affect points in the Pyrenees, as well as more locally the eastern Pre-Pyrenees and the northeastern interior. Meteocat maintains the warning for heavy rain in Ripollès and Garrotxa. The mistral and tramuntana winds will blow at dawn and in the morning in the extremities, and in the afternoon will only persist in the north of Alt Empordà.

The extreme heat is temporarily easing

On Wednesday, the north wind will strengthen and bring cooler air at higher altitudes. This will cause temperatures to drop quite generally. The decrease will be most noticeable inland and in the Pyrenees, while on the coast it will be more discreet, where the stuffiness will persist and the nights will continue to be restless.

But this decrease will be temporary and only an attempt to normalize temperatures, as outside the Pyrenees the values will still remain above average. And pay attention because during the second half of the week the anticyclone and the warm air mass will strengthen again in our region and in Western Europe, with temperatures that will rise again with enthusiasm.

Therefore, the heat will once again be suffocating and extreme this coming weekend, with highs of 35 to 40°C inland. This extraordinarily warm weather has no end. For its part, the sea temperature has soared in recent days, with a marine heatwave on many European coasts.