MADRID – From intense cold and rain to full summer. Get out your flip flops. Parts of Spain will experience temperatures more typical of June than March in the coming days, with the country’s first 30ºC of the year.
After a cold period with temperatures in the interior even lower than in Finland, a period of moderate rain followed in the Atlantic part of Spain. But now follows a period with a significant rise in temperatures. This is expected to last into Thursday with maximums reaching as high as 28ºC in Murcia and 24ºC in Zaragoza on Wednesday. Meanwhile the southern and Cantabrian areas will hover around 20ºC. Only in the coolest areas in the interior will the mercury not reach 20ºC.
Related post: From Monday the cold will become even more intense in Spain
However, according to meteorologists from Eltiempo.es, the summer heat is not over yet on Thursday. The biggest temperature increase will be felt from Friday. It also means that there will be almost no frost anywhere, except for the mountainous areas. Minimum temperatures will be between 5ºC and 10ºC in many places on the Spanish plateau by the weekend. And althought that doesn’t seem very warm, the values are higher than normal for this time of year.
What is special is that tropical nights could even occur on the Mediterranean coast.
30ºC in Valencia and Murcia
Parts of Murcia and Valencia could reach temperatures of around 30ºC on Friday. The hottest day will be Saturday, with maximums of over 32°C in some areas of Murcia and Valencia. Moreover, these are abnormal temperatures given the historical data. Since 1971, the mercury in Valencia has only once reached or exceeded 30°C in the first half of March. If the predictions are correct, they will be measured the second time and with higher temperatures.
Sunday
On Sunday, the maximum temperatures in the east of the country will be the same or slightly lower. However, the overall temperature increase will continue in the rest of the country, with values approaching 30°C in the Guadalquivir area of Andalucia. Monday is likely to be the warmest day in the whole country, with temperatures reaching 25ºC across much of Spain, including along the Cantabrian coast. Thus, those temperatures can rightly be called summery for mid-March.
Canary Islands
Temperatures will also rise in the Canary Islands, reaching 30°C from Saturday, and maximums could reach 34°C in the eastern islands, which is relatively warm for this time of year. Although it will be very hot in cities such as Valencia, Murcia and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it cannot yet officially be called a heatwave in Spain or in the Canary Islands.
The abnormal heat is due to the presence of a high-pressure system and a warm air mass. Descending air movements push this towards the earth’s surface, causing warm weather.
