At the gates of August, Spain faces an unusual weather situation For these dates. The country is under the influence of the polar jet, a powerful current of cold air in height, which is causing a significant fall in temperatures in much of the territory.
While in the north there is talk of cold nights in full summer season, The south continues under the roof of extreme heatwith maximums that touch the 40 degrees. A climatic dichotomy that leaves unusual prints on the beaches of the North and forces to take out the jacket in the middle of summer.
What is the polar jet and how does it affect Spain?
The polar jet, also known as “Jet Stream”, is a very intense current of winds that circulates between 9 and 16 kilometers of altitude. It moves at speeds that can exceed 250 km/Hy acts as a kind of “air river” that determines surface time.
As explained by Samuel Biener, Meteored expert, “The Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are now under the descending branches of the polar jet”which facilitates the arrival of cold air masses from northern Europe. This atmospheric configuration is directly responsible for abnormally low temperatures in areas of the north and peninsular interior.
Temperatures up to 10 degrees below normal according to the AEMET
The State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) confirms that this situation is generating a negative thermal anomaly between 7 and 10 ºC with respect to the usual values of the end of July. In provinces such as Soria, Teruel, Ávila or León, LThe thermometers have reached minimum of between 10 and 12 degreesSeptember numbers than full summer.
These conditions especially affect the peninsular north and areas of the center, where They have even registered showers and storms associated with instability that accompanies this type of cold air masses.
Rains and storms: where and when they are expected
This Tuesday the rainfall will affect the Cantabrian and the Pyreneesand showers are not ruled out in points of the Mediterranean and Balearic Islands. The rains could be locally intense ** on the Catalan coast, southern Valencia and northern Alicante.
The forecast points to that Wednesday and Thursday will follow the same tonicwith sporadic rains in the north and the possibility of new storms on the Mediterranean coast.
The contrast: extreme heat in the south and the Mediterranean
While in the north the portable heating are lit in some rural homes, in areas of the south and the Mediterranean the situation is radically opposite. Andalusia, Extremadura and the Levantine coast Torrid days live, with maxims that reach 38-40 ºC, especially in the valleys of Guadiana and Guadalquivir.
In these regions they remain The tropical nights, with minimal that do not lower the 25 degreeshindering night rest and forcing to maintain precautionary measures against heat.
When will time change?
Aemet’s forecasts indicate that, as of Thursday, Temperatures will begin to recover progressively in the north and the peninsular centeralthough without reaching extreme values. Nevertheless, A new expelled trough between Friday and Saturday It could return instability, with locally strong storms in areas of the interior, north and half east of the Peninsula.
Facing Sunday, Sand awaits a slightly ascending trend in temperaturesalthough the scenario remains dominated by the alternation between masses of cold and warm air, typical of situations influenced by the polar jet.