WEATHER – Last week Spain had to deal with hailstorms and storms in the centre, south, and east of the country. In Valencia it rained so hard that there were floods and temperatures were below average everywhere. However, all that changes this week as things heat up.
Last weekend, the mercury rose to normal temperatures for the time of year. The showers also dissipated and it was generally mostly dry in the country. Over the next week, however, the mercury continues to rise and becomes abnormally hot for the beginning of May.
What weather will it be this week?
The second week of May is dominated by the sun and the heat in Spain. After many weeks of unstable weather with lots of rain, it is now time for stable spring weather. However, in terms of temperature, we probably get more than we want in Spain. Temperatures will hit this week’s ceiling on Tuesday and Wednesday, depending on where in Spain. In Extremadura, the mercury can reach 36º Celsius in Badajoz on Tuesday and in Zaragoza, the temperature will reach 35º Celsius on Wednesday, according to Eltiempo.com. In the northern Ourense, it will already be 32º Celsius on Monday, which is abnormally high for the time of year.
Real summer temperatures with 10 degrees more than normal
The heat hits the country very suddenly. According to Eltiempo.es, sudden weather changes are characteristic of spring, but meteorologists can’t say right now that the situation will be normal. It is an ‘abnormal heat episode’, although it is not yet a heatwave.
In this second week of May, the whole of Spain has to deal with temperatures above normal values. However, the heat will be more abnormal in the north, west, and centre of the peninsula. For Andalucia, Ceuta, and Melilla the temperatures are slightly less exceptional during this period.
Where is the highest temperature deviation
The most pronounced temperature deviation is predicted for the Canary Islands on Tuesday 10 May. Thermometers here will read 10ºC or more above average. On the mainland, Galicia will be the region with the most abnormal heat: the maximum here at the beginning of the week is already between 8º and 10ºCelcius above normal values. Where in Ourense a temperature around 22º is now normal, but it can reach 32º. This predicted temperature in this city even exceeds the mean value of the maximum in August. It was 30.6 degrees Celsius.
The warmest areas in the coming week
In the southwest of Spain, the temperatures are a lot higher. After reaching 30°C at the start of the week, thermometers will continue their climb to 35°C and beyond in the coming days.
Special mention: over 35ºC in the Canary Islands
At the beginning of the week, it gets very hot on the islands. The worst days in this regard will be Tuesday and Wednesday with weak trade winds and low humidity. The heat will become stifling on the eastern islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Graciosa. Inland they can exceed 35ºC and in inland Fuerteventura, they can even approach 37ºC. On the coast, the maximum is around 32ºC. The nights will be tropical with minimums around 20ºC.
Not only will it be very hot in the east, but also in the southern interior of Gran Canaria the heat will become unbearable at 35-36ºC. In the south of Tenerife, Eltiempo.es also expects around 33-34ºC. Attention sunbathers too: the UV index is very high.
Dry
It is expected to be a dry week for the entire country and also drier than normal for these dates. The negative precipitation anomaly could be more visible in the northern half: Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, La Rioja, Navarra, Aragon, Catalonia and in much of Castilla y León.
Some showers
This does not mean that it will not rain at any time. Thursday and Friday there could be afternoon showers in the mountain systems in the northern half of the country that could continue into the north-eastern quadrant over the weekend.
Fifteen days of higher temperatures than normal
According to AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo, abnormally high temperatures will persist in most of the country for the next 15 days. Only along the Mediterranean coast does the wind from the still relatively cool sea ensure that the temperatures there cool down somewhat. According to him, it will be around 30ºC in northern cities such as Burgos, Vitoria or Soria and more than 30ºC in Madrid, Zamora, Zaragoza, Palencia, Ourense or Logroño.
