Lleida will be close to 36 degrees on Friday in an episode of anomalous heat for May that will leave temperatures between five and 10 degrees above normal in a large part of Spain. The rise will start this Wednesday and will last at least until Sunday, with summer-like highs in the peninsular interior.
The anomaly will not be limited to the south, where the highest readings are expected, but will also reach the northeast. While Badajoz will reach 39 degrees and Seville 37, the capital of Segrià will share forecasts with Toledo, Zamora, and Zaragoza, an unusual fact for this time of year.
Lleida will reach 36 degrees on Friday in the middle of a May episode
This Wednesday, temperatures will already exceed 30 degrees in the northeast, the central zone, and the southern half, with 35 degrees in Badajoz and Seville. In addition, dust will enter from the peninsular south.
Looking ahead to Thursday, the weather will remain stable and thermometers will rise again. Bilbao, Valladolid, Toledo, Zaragoza, and Lleida will be around 34 degrees, while Seville and Badajoz will be between 37 and 38.
Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for Aemet, has warned that the country is facing an episode of high temperatures for the time of year, with highs between 5 and 10 degrees above normal and deviations of more than 10 degrees in the northern half between Thursday and Friday.
"An episode of high temperatures for the time of year is expected throughout the country" - Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for Aemet
Friday will bring the peak of the heat. On that day, 39 degrees are expected in Badajoz, 37 in Seville, and 36 in Lleida, Toledo, Zamora, and Zaragoza, in addition to 35 in Bilbao, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Jaén, and Ourense.
Tropical nights will appear from Thursday and Madrid could experience them for the first time on Friday
From Thursday onwards, night temperatures will also change. In the center and southern half of the peninsula, there will be lows that will not drop below 20 degrees, a threshold that defines tropical nights.
On that day, Cádiz and Almería will already have readings of 20 degrees or more during the early morning. By Friday, this situation will extend to the center and south, and Madrid could register its first tropical night of the season.
The change will begin to be noticeable on Saturday in the northwest due to the arrival of low pressure systems to the northwest of the peninsula. Galicia, Asturias, northwestern Castilla y León, and the Pyrenees will receive locally heavy rain and showers.
There the thermal descent will be clear. Lugo could go from 30 to 20 degrees and Bilbao from 35 to 25, while Galicia and Asturias will notice a notable drop and the Cantabrian and the northwest a more moderate relief.
On Saturday it will cool down in the northwest, but the Ebro will remain above 34 degrees
Outside these areas, the heat will continue to press during the weekend. On Saturday, 34 degrees will still be exceeded in the Ebro and Guadalquivir Valleys, with values between 32 and 34 in the central zone and the southern half.
On Sunday the situation will continue, with temperatures close to 30 degrees in Castilla y León and with highs above 32 and 34 degrees in the northeast, the center and the southern half of the peninsula.
In the case of Lleida, Aemet's forecast places the maximum at 36 degrees on Friday, the same level forecast for Toledo, Zamora and Zaragoza.