Unseasonably warm weather in Spain to make way for falls of up to 17ºC

The unseasonably warm weather that much of Spain has been enjoying for the last few days is set to come to an abrupt end, with the current conditions, more suited to the month of July, making way for temperatures usually seen in March.

This “episode of general and unusual heat” that started a week ago, in the words of the AEMET state meteorological service, will make way for “an extraordinary fall in temperatures” thanks to the arrival of a cold-air front from the Atlantic. The mercury could fall by as much as 17ºC in a single day. Highs will go from their current level of 5ºC to 10ºC above the average for this time of year, to the same amount below average.

The only areas that will escape these drops are Valencia, Murcia and Almería, where the temperatures could rise slightly

According to AEMET spokesperson Rubén del Campo, Wednesday will be a “reasonably hot” day in general, with temperature rises in “nearly the entire country,” in particular in the southeast and the Andalusian Mediterranean coast, with nearly 6ºC rises. In the center of the peninsula – Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and the north of Extremadura – that figure will be between 3ºC and 5ºC, with Madrid, for example, clocking in at 32ºC.

But that will be the end of the warm weather, with the cold air from the Atlantic due to arrive on Thursday, bringing with it falls of between 6ºC and 8ºC. This drop will be most noticeable in Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León and Extremadura.

“Thursday will still be warm for the season,” explains Del Campo, “between 5ºC and 10ºC above the average in a lot of the inland areas of the peninsula For example, Madrid will see highs of 32ºC and the east of Castilla y León could hit 28ºC.

But by Friday, there will be “a general, very brusque fall in temperatures, which in many areas could reach 10ºC or more.” This will be felt in Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, La Rioja, Navarre, Aragón and Andalusia.

Storms are forecast on Thursday and Friday in the north of the peninsula, while snow “will reappear on the mountains

Zaragoza, for example, will go from a 28ºC high on Thursday to 16ºC on Friday. And Madrid, where the thermometers will be at 31ºC on Thursday, will see 17ºC on Friday. “The most striking change will be in areas of the northeast of Castilla y León, where Soria will see a fall of 17ºC.”

The arrival of the cold will not be as noticeable in the south. In the Guadalquivir Valley, for example, the temperature will fall from 34ºC on Thursday to 25ºC on Friday. The only areas that will escape these drops are Valencia, Murcia and Almería, where the temperatures could rise slightly, in particular on the coast, where they will be around 26ºC by the end of the week.

The Canary Islands will also see falls, but the temperatures will remain above average.

Storms are forecast on Thursday and Friday in the north of the peninsula, while snow “will reappear on the mountains in the north and the center from altitudes above 1,500 meters, a low level for the time of year,” the AEMET spokesperson explains.

Temperatures at the weekend will continue to be “fresh in general, although they will rise a little in the Ebro Valley,” Del Campo explains. The forecast is unclear for next week, but it appears that the temperatures will “start to creep up” once more, the spokesperson concludes.