If this morning you found it hard to get out from under the comforter more than usual, it’s not you, it’s that Barcelona has literally turned into a fridge. The arrival of the Francis squall and a mass of arctic air have given us the coldest awakening in recent years. We are not only talking about that feeling of “it’s cool” when we go down to get the bread; we are talking about historical data that have forced us to rescue the thickest layers of clothing from the closet.
The Observatori Fabra recorded a minimum of -2.5 degrees this morning. To put it in perspective: it is the lowest temperature recorded in the city since February 2018. Almost ten years have had to pass for the mercury to drop so much in the capital, leaving values that are up to five degrees below what is usually normal for the beginning of January.
A Wednesday of record throughout Catalonia
Although in the Raval the urban density always helps to maintain the type a little (with minimums that have remained in the 2.5 degrees), in other parts of the city the cold has been cutting. In the Zona Universitària, for example, the thermometer barely rose above 1.6 degrees overnight, and the morning highs have not even reached 4 degrees. It is undoubtedly the coldest day of this episode that, although technically has not been classified as a cold snap, has made us all shiver equally.
Outside Barcelona, the panorama is like an arctic postcard. In the Pyrenees, stations like Cap de Vaquèira have reached -17.4 degrees, a figure that chills the blood just reading it. Places like Das, in the Cerdanya, or Puigcerdà have again demonstrated why they are the freezer of Catalonia, moving between -10 and -15 degrees. Even in coastal areas like Badalona or L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the thermometer has flirted dangerously with zero degrees, something rare in our coastal latitudes.
Caution and the last throes of cold weather
Given this scenario, the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya keeps activated the orange level warnings for low temperatures. It is not a day for outdoor experiments; from Protecció Civil recommend great caution, especially with the ice sheets that can form on the roads around Barcelona and in shaded areas. They also suggest adapting walks with pets and sports activities to avoid the most critical hours of this frigid Wednesday.
The good news for those who already miss the sun terrace is that this seems to be the peak of the episode. Forecasts indicate that from Thursday temperatures will begin a slight and progressive rise, although the wintry atmosphere will continue to accompany us a few more days. For the time being, it’s time to enjoy that Barcelona of scarf and mist in the mouth, an image that, as much as it makes us shiver, has its charm of a Nordic city for a day.