Catalonia faces from this Tuesday an episode of rains and storms with yellow and orange warnings activated by the Meteorological Service of Catalonia and the State Meteorological Agency in regions of the four provinces. The forecast points to precipitation that may exceed 20 liters in half an hour, with hail and strong gusts of wind during the afternoon.
The episode will reach practically all of the territory on a day when the highs could still reach 24 degrees. That contrast between mild temperatures and warnings for heavy rain will mark the beginning of several days of instability, with a thermal decrease until Friday and a snowline that will drop again in the Pyrenees.
Rains could leave more than 20 liters in half an hour this Tuesday
The warnings from Meteocat and Aemet affect counties in Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona this Tuesday. The forecast concentrates the risk in the afternoon, when heavy showers are expected, accompanied by storms, hail, and wind.
In addition to the rain, snow will reappear at lower altitudes than in previous days. During Tuesday, the snowline will descend from 2,400 meters to a range between 2,000 and 2,200 meters.
At the end of the day, the precipitation will remain more confined to the northern end of the Pyrenees, the northeast quadrant, and the central coast and pre-coast. In parallel, the wind will blow weakly and from a variable direction throughout Catalonia.
Wednesday maintains warnings in Girona and Tarragona and the snow level drops further
For Wednesday, the forecast outlines a more unstable day from the early hours. The sky will be overcast and showers with thunderstorms will affect the eastern third and the Vall d'Aran in the morning, before spreading to the northern half during the afternoon.
On that second day, the snow line in the Vall d'Aran will drop to between 1,500 and 1,800 meters and then will rise in the afternoon to between 1,800 and 2,000 meters. Meteocat will maintain yellow alerts in counties of Girona, while Aemet will maintain them in counties of Tarragona.
The wind will also gain prominence in the south of Tarragona, where very strong gusts are expected. In the Pyrenees, light northerly winds will predominate, and in the western half, a westerly component.
Thursday will remain cloudy in the northeast, the coast, and the Pyrenees
The instability will not end mid-week. Thursday is expected to be a cloudy day, with probable showers from early hours in the northeast quadrant and on the coast and pre-coast, and with precipitation in the Pyrenees from midday.
The forecast for that day places the snowline between 1,800 and 2,000 meters and maintains the slight drop in temperatures. The downward thermal trend will continue, moreover, until Friday.