Spain's cold snap worsens with snow and freezing temperatures on the way
The arrival of a new cold weather front will bring snow, frost and freezing temperatures to large parts of Spain, with several regions placed on alert by the country's national weather agency.
Spain's cold spell is set to get worse over the coming days as the state meteorological agency (Aemet) puts out warnings for snow, frosts, freezing temperatures and strong winds.
From Tuesday (January 9th) the wintery weather will intensify with the entry of a DANA (literally Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos in Spanish, and what we might call a 'cold weather front' in English) that could bring snowfall to some parts of the country that will last through Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th.
READ ALSO: Spanish Word of the Day: DANA
According to an Aemet statement: "An episode of snow is expected to begin on Tuesday 9th and last through Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th, with precipitation in practically the whole of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, though less likely in Galicia."
However, the agency notes the picture with regards to where the snow might fall is still unclear: "There is still high uncertainty regarding snow cover and precipitation intensity due to the uncertainty associated with the position and deepening of the DANA."
Nonetheless, six regions have also been put on alert for strong winds, waves and low temperatures from Monday, January 8th, in which minimum temperatures will plummet and frosts could affect large swathes of inland Spain.
A Meteored graphic below visualises the spread of frosts and freezing temperatures over the coming days: "In the next few days frosts will spread over many areas of the inland peninsula, and locally they will be intense. At points in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains it could drop below -15C."
En estos próximos días las heladas 🧊 se extenderán por muchas zonas del interior peninsular, y localmente serán intensas.
En puntos del #Pirineo, la Cordillera Cantábrica y en piscinas de aire frío podrían bajar de los -15 ºC 🥶. pic.twitter.com/9O4CqrpUqY
— Meteored | tiempo.com (@MeteoredES) January 7, 2024
The regions on alert are Aragón, the Balearic Islands, Castile and León, Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community, all of which have a yellow or orange alert prior to the arrival of the DANA, something that Aemet says could cause snowfall throughout mainland Spain and even the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.
In provincial capitals such as Madrid and Cordoba, the mercury could even drop below 0C, and in Castellón, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona and Huesca winds of up to 80km/h are forecast.
However, the most likely scenario seems to be that snowfall will arrive on Tuesday in the more mountainous areas of Spain, the eastern area of the southern plateau and the west, although there could also be precipitation and perhaps light snow in large areas of the northern half of the country.
On Wednesday, precipitation will be heavier, except in the southwest of the country. Specifically, snowfall is expected in the Cantabrian mountains, the northern plateau and Pyrenees, and could be heavy in the east of the country.
The snow and rain will begin to die off from Thursday, when it will be restricted to the north of the country and the Balearic Islands, except for the extreme northeast and Ebro valley area, where it will snow more heavily.
As far as daytime temperatures are concerned, Aemet forecasts that they will only reach 5C in coastal areas and in the Guadalquivir valley area on Tuesday, and on the coast on Wednesday and Thursday.
The cold snap will be compounded by strong winds wind, which will blow from the east in the Ebro valley and the Balearic Islands and make temperatures feel colder.
The cold snap brought on by the DANA is expected to last at least until Friday 12th.
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Spain's cold spell is set to get worse over the coming days as the state meteorological agency (Aemet) puts out warnings for snow, frosts, freezing temperatures and strong winds.
From Tuesday (January 9th) the wintery weather will intensify with the entry of a DANA (literally Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos in Spanish, and what we might call a 'cold weather front' in English) that could bring snowfall to some parts of the country that will last through Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th.
READ ALSO: Spanish Word of the Day: DANA
According to an Aemet statement: "An episode of snow is expected to begin on Tuesday 9th and last through Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th, with precipitation in practically the whole of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, though less likely in Galicia."
However, the agency notes the picture with regards to where the snow might fall is still unclear: "There is still high uncertainty regarding snow cover and precipitation intensity due to the uncertainty associated with the position and deepening of the DANA."
Nonetheless, six regions have also been put on alert for strong winds, waves and low temperatures from Monday, January 8th, in which minimum temperatures will plummet and frosts could affect large swathes of inland Spain.
A Meteored graphic below visualises the spread of frosts and freezing temperatures over the coming days: "In the next few days frosts will spread over many areas of the inland peninsula, and locally they will be intense. At points in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains it could drop below -15C."
En estos próximos días las heladas 🧊 se extenderán por muchas zonas del interior peninsular, y localmente serán intensas.
— Meteored | tiempo.com (@MeteoredES) January 7, 2024
En puntos del #Pirineo, la Cordillera Cantábrica y en piscinas de aire frío podrían bajar de los -15 ºC 🥶. pic.twitter.com/9O4CqrpUqY
The regions on alert are Aragón, the Balearic Islands, Castile and León, Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community, all of which have a yellow or orange alert prior to the arrival of the DANA, something that Aemet says could cause snowfall throughout mainland Spain and even the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.
In provincial capitals such as Madrid and Cordoba, the mercury could even drop below 0C, and in Castellón, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona and Huesca winds of up to 80km/h are forecast.
However, the most likely scenario seems to be that snowfall will arrive on Tuesday in the more mountainous areas of Spain, the eastern area of the southern plateau and the west, although there could also be precipitation and perhaps light snow in large areas of the northern half of the country.
On Wednesday, precipitation will be heavier, except in the southwest of the country. Specifically, snowfall is expected in the Cantabrian mountains, the northern plateau and Pyrenees, and could be heavy in the east of the country.
The snow and rain will begin to die off from Thursday, when it will be restricted to the north of the country and the Balearic Islands, except for the extreme northeast and Ebro valley area, where it will snow more heavily.
As far as daytime temperatures are concerned, Aemet forecasts that they will only reach 5C in coastal areas and in the Guadalquivir valley area on Tuesday, and on the coast on Wednesday and Thursday.
The cold snap will be compounded by strong winds wind, which will blow from the east in the Ebro valley and the Balearic Islands and make temperatures feel colder.
The cold snap brought on by the DANA is expected to last at least until Friday 12th.
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