Advertisement

Spain gets first cold snap and snow after months of heat records

The Local Spain
The Local Spain - [email protected]
Spain gets first cold snap and snow after months of heat records
Although this cold snap won’t last long, it will still seem like a breath of fresh (and cold) air for people in Spain, who since May have endured hotter weather than usual for the time of year (Photo by DOMINIQUE FAGET / AFP)

Much of Spain will see temperatures drop considerably over the weekend with more rain and some snowfall forecast, a welcome change for most after the country had the hottest October on record this year. 

Advertisement

The rainy and windy weather Spain has experienced in recent days will give way to a cold snap on Friday, officially waving goodbye to the unusual veranillo (little summer) the country has had in October and November.  

A maritime polar front will sweep through Spain over the course of the weekend, and although the mercury won’t drop below zero in most places, it will be considerably colder than it has been, especially in the centre and north of the country. 

"It is probable that in the coldest places in the country temperatures can drop even below -5ºC," said Rubén del Campo, of Spain’s national weather agency AEMET. 

Advertisement

“The drop in temperatures will be gradual, cold air will start in the north of Spain and make its way south, with minimums expected in the evening,” renowned Spanish weatherman Roberto Brasero added. 

According to Spanish weather website eltiempo.es, some parts of Aragón in northeastern Spain will see the mercury drop between 8C and 9 C and 6C in other regions such as Murcia, Catalonia, La Rioja and throughout central Spain.

Temperatures in inland cities such as Madrid, Cuenca, Logroño, Palencia and Salamanca will not exceed 12C during the day, while in the Canary Islands there will be a more moderate drop in temperatures.

The thermometer will hover between 13C and 17C in most of Andalusia during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

People in other cities in Spain’s interior such as Ávila, Soria, Burgos, Teruel, Toledo, Albacete, Valladolid and Pamplona will have to wrap up warm as temperatures below 5C are forecast.

Snowfall is also expected in the northeast and centre of the country at heights of 1,100 metres above sea level.

Manual widget for ML (class="ml-manual-widget-container")

Madrid authorities have announced a ‘snowfall plan’ which includes the quick deployment of snowplows, tens of thousands of tonnes of salt and more than 600 emergency workers, with the capital not keen for a repeat of the damage caused by Storm Filomena in January 2021.

The rainy weather will also continue in northern Spain and heavy rainfall will fall in the Balearic Islands on Saturday. 

By Sunday, minimum temperatures across much of Spain will increase, rainfall will be lighter and maximum temperatures will rise but remain below 20C across the mainland. 

Although this cold snap won’t last long, it will still seem like a breath of fresh (and cold) air for people in Spain, who since May have endured hotter weather than usual for the time of year.

It was the hottest month of October since 1961, the summer saw three intense heatwaves that caused record heat-related deaths and wildfires and the country recorded the second earliest heatwave in its history in May.

READ ALSO: October 2022 was the hottest in Spain since records began

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also