You’ve probably already noticed it tonight: temperatures have risen. No, it wasn’t you or your winter quilt that is still there, but the first tropical night of a summer that promises to be intense.
An exceptionally warm Saharan air mass is to blame , which has caused a sudden rise in temperatures, with rises of up to 5 degrees in just 24 hours in the Catalan capital, where thermometers have gone from 23 °C on Tuesday to over 27 °C this Wednesday, and are expected to reach 30 °C in the coming hours.
Warnings activated, more than 30º and tropical nights in Barcelona
Because of this sudden rise the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya and the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) have activated yellow warnings for extreme temperatures, especially in the provinces of Lleida and Tarragona, where the highest values of the day have been recorded. Municipalities such as Benissanet (Tarragona) have reached 36.4 ° C, while Vinebre (35.8 ° C), Seròs (35.3 ° C) and Ascó (35 ° C) have far exceeded 35 ° C, figures typical of high summer and well above the usual for the end of May.
In the rest of Catalonia, dozens of localities have exceeded 30 °C, many of them for the first time this year. In El Masroig 34.6 °C were recorded, in the Pantà de Riba-roja and Alcarràs 34.2 °C, and in the city of Lleida 34 °C.
The situation does not only affect daytime highs. Tropical nights are expected, with minimum temperatures that could not fall below 20 °C in Barcelona and other coastal areas, making it difficult to rest and increasing the risk of heat stroke, especially among the most vulnerable groups. According to the AEMET, minimum temperatures between Friday and Sunday will be between 5 and 10 degrees above normal in large areas, consolidating this episode as one of the most extreme recorded in a month ofMay7.
How long will the heat last?
The heat warnings will remain active at least until the weekend. Weather models predict that the peak of this episode will occur between Friday and Saturday, when thermometers could break historical records in the interior of Catalonia, especially in Segrià and Ribera d’Ebre, where up to 38 or 39 °C are expected.
From Monday, the entry of a mass of cooler air from the Atlantic will alleviate the situation, although temperatures will remain high for the season. However, a new spike in heat is not ruled out from the following Thursday17.
This heat episode, which affects much of Spain, is considered by the AEMET as one of the most severe and extraordinary of those on record in a month of May, with thermal anomalies of up to 10-15 degrees above normal in some areas and has forced to activate warnings in seven autonomous communities.