Spain enters fully into the winter cold with a sharp drop in thermometers, which are going to be between five and ten degrees below normal for this time of year; and with snowfall that “will affect cities and important communication routes,” according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). The drop in the mercury began last Tuesday, but it will be this Wednesday when the change in weather begins to be noticed more palpably. In fact, over the next few days it is expected that the maximum temperatures will be below 10 degrees in much of the country, except for the southwest and the coasts, where they will be slightly higher.
During this day, a humid flow with a northern component with a long maritime route will be established in the Cantabrian Sea, which will give rise to moderate and persistent rainfall, especially during the second half of the day. The water will fall in the form of snow from between 900 and 1200 meters. Given this scenario, Aemet has activated alerts at the yellow level (“low risk”) in the Huesca Pyrenees (Huesca) due to an accumulation of 5 centimeters of snow in 24 hours above 1200 meters in Jacetania and Alto Gállego; in the Mountain range and Picos de Europa (Asturias) for accumulated 10 centimeters in 24 hours from 1000 meters; the Cantabrian Mountains (León) due to an accumulation of 15 centimeters in 24 hours, also from 1000 meters; and in the Aran Valley (Lleida), where an accumulation of 5 centimeters of snow is expected in 24 hours above 1,200 meters. All of them starting at six in the afternoon.
The peak moment of the episode is expected between the last hours of Thursday and the morning of Friday due to the progressive entry of the Arctic mass. Thus, on Thursday the snow level will drop to below 600 meters generally in the northern third of the peninsula, “with snowfall that may affect not only mountainous areas, but also surrounding low areas starting at noon, such as hotspots.” interior of the Basque Country, Navarra and the north of the Northern Plateau“, as detailed by the Aemet in a special statement regarding the storm. They also warn that they will be especially copious in the Cantabrian mountain range, where more than 20 centimeters may accumulate locally in 24 hours. In fact, the Aemet has already activated alerts for this day for snow accumulations of up to 20 centimeters from 800 meters high.
As we move from Thursday to Friday, the snow level will be around 300-400 meters in the eastern Cantabrian and upper Ebro, without ruling out that additional collapses may occur locally. “The impact could be significant in this area, with accumulations likely to exceed 3 – 5 centimeters, affecting important communication routes“, warns the public body. In addition, during Friday there could be an accumulation of up to 20 centimeters again in mountain points in the northern third of the peninsula. Less significantly, the snowfall will also affect the Iberian and Central systems during the episode, without discarding them in the Catalan pre-Pyrenees.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the most likely scenario is a new change of time. The Aemet expects that on Saturday afternoon a warmer Atlantic air mass will penetrate, which would initiate an increase in both temperatures and snow levels. This rise in mercury would continue in subsequent days, thus leaving snowfall and frost restricted to mountain areas.
