The first heat wave of summer is here and will send temperatures soaring above 44 degrees in some areas. The culprit for this situation is an African heat tongue that, in addition to high temperatures, will bring with it haze with desert sand, and Tropical nights in many areaswhere it will be difficult to sleep in the coming days. This heat wave will affect practically the entire countrybut not in the same way everywhere. While in some areas the worst days of heat will be today and tomorrow, in others it will have to wait until the weekend.
For this reason, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET)has issued a special warning of adverse eventsthe fourth so far this year, which indicates that a large anticyclone at medium and high levels currently located in the interior of Algeria, will intensify during the next few days and will extend towards the west, thus inducing a flow of southern component that will introduce over the Peninsula and Balearic Islands a mass of very warm, dry and stable air.
The presence of this air mass, together with the high sunshine associated with this time of year, a situation ofgreat atmospheric stability, will cause a general and progressive rise in temperatures in a large part of the peninsular area.
The temperatures will reach very high values, higher than usual for this time of year, except in the northwest of the peninsula and especially in the Cantabrian area, where there will be a cooler Atlantic flow. The most affected areas will be the southern half and the northeast quadrant of the Peninsula, where temperatures are expected to exceed 38 degrees in a fairly generalized manner from today, Reaching 42 degrees in areas of the valleys of the Guadiana, Tajo and Ebro; and even 44 degrees in the valley of the Guadalquivir.
The climax of this episode will be tomorrow Friday 19th,when thevalues above 40 degrees may occur more extensively in the areas mentioned above. In the northern plateau and in the Balearic Islands, especially in the interior of Mallorca, although the criteria for a heat wave are not met, high temperatures are expected, reaching 38 degrees.
In addition, this air mass of African origin will be accompanied by suspended dust, which will affect much of the southern and eastern half of the peninsula today and tomorrow.
From Saturday 20th A cooler Atlantic air mass is likely to cause a moderate drop in temperatures on the Atlantic side of the peninsula. However, temperatures will still reach 38 degrees in the southern half of the peninsula and could reach 40 degrees in the Guadalquivir valley.
In the Ebro valley the uncertainty is high, the most probable being that the cierzo will be established, so the temperature drop in the upper Ebro would be significant, although in the middle and lower Ebro it could still reach 40 degrees, where There is a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, which would cause a sharp drop in temperatures.
As for the Mediterranean side, Saturday is the peak day as the westerly wind will raise temperatures to reach 42 degrees and even occasionally the 44 in the Júcar and Segura valleys. Minimum temperatures will also be high during this episode, with temperatures not falling below 24 degrees in large areas of the southeast and, more occasionally, in other areas of the southern half of the peninsula and depressions in the northeast, mainly on Friday and Saturday.
During the Sunday 21st The temperature drop that began on Saturday on the Atlantic side is expected to spread to the rest of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, and may be locally noticeable. Although there will still be high temperatures in areas of the southern half and eastern third of the Peninsula, the criteria for issuing this heatwave warning will no longer be met.
For next week, uncertainty is still high, but with the current information, the most likely scenario is that there will be a new increase in temperatures. As for the Canary Islands, The Saharan air mass will also affect the archipelago starting tomorrowwith a significant rise in temperatures. Friday would be the peak day, with temperatures that could reach 34 degrees in inland areas and midlands facing south of the islands. In the case of Gran Canaria, temperatures could reach 37 degrees. On Saturday, a slight drop is likely to begin, although we would still have high temperatures.
On Sunday, the drop is likely to be more pronounced and temperatures will return to values more usual for this time of year. In summary, AEMET indicates that The most adverse days will be Thursday and Fridayexcept on the Mediterranean side, which will be on Saturday. Locally temperatures may exceed 44 degreesthe nights will be very warm and the heat is accompanied by haze.