WEATHER – After a few days of cool temperatures for the start of summer, now comes what could be the first heatwave of the year. Temperatures will reach close to 40 degrees Celsius and the nights will be tropical. Saturday is expected to be the hottest day.
According to Spanish weather service Meteored, temperatures of 38 degrees will be reached on Wednesday in the Guadalquivir Valley. At the weekend, the temperature will hit its peak due to warm air coming in from North Africa.
Thus, temperatures on Saturday will approach 40 degrees in Andalucia, Murcia, the interior and the frontier area of the Valencian Community, the southeast of Castilla-La Mancha, in parts of Catalonia and the Ebro Valley.
Progressive increase
Meteorologist at the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) Ruben del Campo confirms “temperatures will be higher than normal over the weekend”. However, overcast skies are still expected on Tuesday, with the exception of the Mediterranean and the Cantabrian coast. Here there may even be some local drizzle.
Winds will be strong in the Cantabrian area. Temperatures will start a gradual increase, especially noticeable in Castilla y Leon. The difference here can reach 8 degrees each day. Temperatures will drop slightly in the Mediterranean area. And in the Guadalquivir region the maximum is expected to be 36 degrees.
Wednesday and Thursday will generally see little cloud cover inland. However, there may still be light clouds, especially in the morning, on the Cantabrian and Mediterranean coasts. Furthermore, near the Pyrenees, drizzle or a local thunderstorm is not excluded. In large parts of Spain it will be thirty degrees. But in the area of the Ebro the temperature can rise up to 35 degrees. The summery values are normal for the beginning of July.
Tropical nights
Mid-week nights could be tropical, with minimum temperatures not falling below 20 degrees. This is expected in the areas of the Ebro Valley, the centre and south of the country and along the Mediterranean coast.
From Friday 2 July onwards, rain may fall in Galicia, Cantabria, Pyrenees and the northern plateau. But the rise in temperatures will be felt throughout the country. Saturday will be warmest in the eastern part of the country, especially near the Mediterranean, while temperatures will drop in the west.
Coming weekend
Very hot weather is forecast for the coming weekend, especially in the east of the country. Moreover, with temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees above normal, rising to over 38 degrees in the Ebro and Guadalquivir valleys and inland Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and southern Andalucia. Also on Mallorca it could be over 36 degrees.
On the Mediterranean coast and inland, such as in the Ebro Valley and in many places in the southern half, the nights remain tropically warm. Meanwhile in Galicia, on the coasts of the Cantabrian Sea and in the westernmost tip of the peninsula, the values will be more normal for the season and it will even be slightly cool.
