MADRID – Rainfall is being eagerly awaited by farmers and nature enthusiasts in Spain. However, Aemet’s forecast of a cold depression and another DANA arriving in the country is somewhat unusual for this time of year.
In the upcoming weeks, instability will dominate the weather in Spain with heavy showers and temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal levels. Aemet predicts that this pattern will persist even into June.
Election Sunday with thunderstorms
According to Rubén Del Campo, spokesperson for Aemet, there are days of “great instability” ahead with “low temperatures for this time of year”. Only the northern regions will experience temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above average. On election Sunday, rain and thunderstorms are expected in many parts of the country, particularly in the southern regions of Galicia, where intense showers are anticipated, as well as in the western part of Castilla y León and the southern area of the Valencia region.
Also read: Heavy rainfall and storms cause cars to be trapped and schools closed in Spain
Warmer in the north
While temperatures will slightly drop in the central part of the country, little change is expected in the rest of Spain. The northern regions, however, will experience warmer temperatures for this time of year, with cities like Pamplona, Logroño, Zaragoza, and Lleida seeing temperatures rise above 27 degrees. Meanwhile, the central and southern regions will remain cooler, with Madrid barely surpassing 20 degrees and Seville hovering around 23 degrees.
Continuation of instability
The following week will start in a similar fashion, with atmospheric instability leading to showers across the peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The north and east of Spain will experience more intense showers, while Extremadura and Western Andalusia are expected to be largely spared.
Expected cold depression and new DANA
Monday afternoon will bring shsimilarlyrms to many parts of the country, with the northwest being the most affected region. Tuesday’s weather will be similar, but showers could spread to the entire eastern part of the peninsula and even the Balearic Islands, according to Marta Almarcha, the meteorologist at ElTiempo.es.
New DANAs
The approach of an isolated cold depression in the Atlantic is responsible for the current volatile situation. When this cold disturbance in the upper atmospheric layers combines with a closed circulation at the surface, an isolated cold depression, known as DANA, is formed. On Wednesday, volatility will remain similar. There is even a possibility of a new DANA forming in the Mediterranean Sea, separate from the situation in the Atlantic Ocean.
This new DANA would further increase instability in the eastern part of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands. On Thursday, the depression is expected to move to the southwest of the peninsula, bringing some showers. Almarcha added that “the cold air in the higher atmospheric layers accompanying it could reach the Iberian Peninsula from the Gulf of Cádiz, resulting in widespread rainfall on Friday.”
Amount of rain and possible hailstorms
Aemet warns that precipitation accumulations next week could exceed 30 or 40 mm in many parts of the interior of the peninsula. In the northwest, where the most intense rainfall is expected, accumulations could even exceed 80 or 90 mm throughout the week. Additionally, there is a risk of localized hailstorms in the coming days.
Read also: Heavy flooding, rescues, and damage caused by DANA in Spain
