Weather conditions are expected to change on Friday, 21 July, with temperatures dropping across most of the country. Seven autonomous communities are on yellow alert due to various adverse weather conditions. These alerts cover risks from storms, rain, heat, wind, waves, and ‘rissaga’. The Canary Islands are under alert because five islands will be at risk from strong gusts of wind and waves, as reported by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
In the northeastern regions like Catalonia and Aragon, the alert for rainfall and storms will be in effect. Specifically, Huesca, Barcelona, Gerona, and Lérida could see up to 20 litres per square metre of rain in an hour, with constant rain throughout the day and accompanied by thunderstorms.
In Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, and Tenerife, the yellow alert is due to strong gusts of wind reaching up to 70 km/h, causing high swell due to winds from the northeast of force seven.
Meanwhile, Malaga and Murcia are expected to experience hot weather, with a yellow alert for high temperatures of up to 39ºC. Additionally, Menorca will face ‘rissaga’, resulting in sea level oscillations of nearly one meter, while Castellón will be on storm alert.
Generally, most of the country will experience light cloudy skies without precipitation. However, an Atlantic front approaching the northwest of the Peninsula will bring cloudy intervals and isolated rainfall in Galicia, the Cantabrian Sea, and nearby areas. These showers will diminish in the afternoon, but inland regions will experience occasional thunderstorms.
The Pyrenees will see showers and thunderstorms in the early morning, persisting into the afternoon and potentially becoming locally heavy. The rest of the northern half of the country will experience diurnal cloudiness, with a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the Iberian system.
Throughout the day, medium and high cloud intervals are expected in the southeast and the Balearic Islands, with occasional light rainfall possible in the Balearic Islands. The Canary Islands are forecasted to have low clouds in the north, with light drizzle possible in the higher islands.
Temperatures will drop nearly everywhere in the country, with more noticeable decreases in the interior of the peninsula and northeastern areas. Nevertheless, temperatures are still expected to exceed 34-36 degrees in the Guadalquivir, the southeast, parts of the Balearic Islands, the lower Ebro, and the coastlines of Malaga and Almeria. Minimum temperatures will also decrease, although equatorial nights will persist on the Mediterranean coasts of the south and southeast, as well as in parts of the Balearic Islands.
Strong trade winds are expected in the Canary Islands, with intervals of strong winds and very strong gusts. Additionally, there will be intervals of strong winds from various directions in other regions, such as westerly winds in the Strait of Gibraltar and Alborán, northwesterly in the Ampurdán, northwesterly in the Ebro valley, northeasterly in the Balearic Islands, westerly on the Atlantic side, northerly in Galicia towards the end of the day, and breezy on the rest of the coastlines.
