Temperatures soared to 42 degrees this Wednesday, as the heat wave that has rolled over Catalonia since the weekend reached its apogee, with especially high temperatures on some areas of the Catalan coast, the south-west of the country and the Ponent, or west. According to the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat), the maximum temperatures this Wednesday afternoon exceeded those of Tuesday near the coast. Earlier, this morning had already left record highs - especially on the central Catalonia coast - while Barcelona recorded its hottest night in history with a minimum temperature of 29.4 degrees in the small hours of Wednesday morning. And be warned: although the extreme tempratures should moderate from Friday, severe storms are expected in much of Catalonia over the weekend.
Specifically, Meteocat reported that the maximum temperature this Wednesday had exceeded that of Tuesday near the coast with provisional values of 40 to 42°C in the coastal ranges. In some cases the temperature reached was the highest of the summer, as is the case in Viladecans (Baix Llobregat): 39.1°C was recorded there, the hottest it's been in that Barcelona suburban town for the last 30 years. As for the south-western part of Catalonia, the mercury reached over 42°C. This was the case in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre), with 42.8°C; and Aldover (Baix Ebre), with 42.5°C; while the 40 degree mark was surpassed in Ascó (Ribera d'Ebre), 40.8°C; at the Riba-roja reservoir (Ribera d'Ebre), 40.2°C; and in Masroig (Priorat), 41.8°C. In central Catalonia, 40 degrees was also exceeded: in Artés (Bages), with 40.6°C; and in Cardona (Bages), with 40.5°C.
From Catalonia to Europe: anticyclone Neró
During the early hours of Wednesday, temperatures soared in various parts of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The city's uptown weather station at Observatori Fabra recorded a minimum temperature of 29.5°C; at Badalona-Museu station, a minimum of 29.1°C; and at El Prat airport, a minimum of 26.9°C. In fact, much of the territory experienced a torrid night, with temperatures above 25°C. This was the case in the Garraf natural park (28.3°C), Montserrat (27.4°C), Terrassa (26.8°C) and Banyoles (26.6°C). In this context, extreme heat advisories were given for some regions of Ponent for the afternoon of this Wednesday and overnight until Thursday, with the thermometers expected to exceed 40°C in some places.
Of course, Catalonia is not suffering alone: most of the European continent has been hit by the record high temperatures, with a clear immediate culprit: the anticyclone Nero, which is making Europe swelter, with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius in the Alps and 42 degrees in Lyon. The temperature warnings are in place in many parts of the continent due to the most extreme phenomenon of this summer - which unfortunately will not be the most extreme in the coming years if the trend continues. And all of that, with the serious consequences it has in many places: Greece, for example, is experiencing its worst wildfires in fifteen years.
Storm warning for the weekend
The good news in Catalonia is that the current wave of hellish temperatures has an expiry date. However, be aware that even though the thermometers will start to normalize on Friday, another weather caution needs to be given for the weekend, when the weather will make a radical change with widespread storms that could be very violent. The mixture of the current prolonged heat and the arrival of a pocket of cold air at high altitude will cause a widespread storm episode affecting Catalonia as well as València and the Balearic Islands. In Catalonia, the peak of the storms will be between late Saturday night and throughout the day on Sunday, when a depression could form in the Balearic Sea. The forecast is for widespread storm episodes with downpours, hailstorms, floods, storm surges, and waterspouts, especially affecting the coastal areas and pre-litoral ranges.