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After the passage of Storm Joseph and the shorter-lived but no-less dramatic Kristin, Spain can expect the weather situation to improve gradually, but we will continue to see rainfall, some residual westerly winds and stormy seas along the coast.

 

Here is the weather forecast for the weekend in Spain.

 

 

 

For this Thursday, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) is keeping weather alerts active for heavy rainfall, strong winds and high waves on the coast in no fewer than nine autonomous communities, namely Madrid, the Region of Murcia, Andalucía, the Valencian Community, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Aragón.

 

By area, the heaviest rains will occur in southern Galicia and in mountainous areas of Andalucía, where they may be “heavy and persistent”. In fact, this week the Sierra de Grazalema in Cádiz and Pontevedra (Galicia) have officially been recorded as two of the rainiest places in the world.

 

According to this Thursday’s forecast, rainfall in Cantabria may also be heavy and accompanied in some cases by storms and hail. Winds will also be strong in areas of the north, east and south of mainland Spain and in mountainous areas in the rest of the country. Once again, there will be stormy seas in Galicia and on the southern Mediterranean coast around Andalucía and Murcia, but even so, temperatures will rise significantly, with Bilbao reaching around 20ºC and Murcia possibly exceeding 25ºC.

 

 

 

Aemet forecasts that from Friday January 30 onwards, and especially later by Sunday 1 February, there will be significant changes towards more stable conditions. Friday will basically be the turning point when the most adverse conditions start to subside, with the snow level rising and rainfall decreasing.

 

It should be a day of relative respite in the south of mainland Spain, where the rains will be weaker and more scattered. Despite this, it will continue to rain in the centre and north of the peninsula, especially in Galicia and nearby northern areas.

 

 

 

For the start of the weekend (and the end of the month), Saturday is expected to be the most stable day of the week so far. Aemet specifies that it will snow in the mountains of the northern half of the country at an altitude of 700-1,000 metres at first, rising to 1,200-1,400 metres by the end of the day, with the most snow falling in the Pyrenees.

 

In the Canary Islands, there will be cloudy skies with probable light and scattered precipitation in the north of the eastern islands and Tenerife, and slightly cloudy in the rest of the areas.

 

Both minimum and maximum temperatures will rise in the northwest of the peninsula, with slight decreases in the rest of the country, particularly in the southeast and the Balearic Islands. There will be little change in temperatures in the Canary Islands.

 

Westerly winds will blow across mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, generally light in the southwest and moderate in the rest, with strong gusts expected on the coast, the Balearic Islands and inland eastern areas like Aragón and Valencia.

 

 

 

On Sunday February 1, the snow level continues to rise and it should be calmer wind-wise, but that’s not to say it’s going to be particularly pleasant. Yet another new Atlantic front will usher in a week ahead that is expected to be very wet once again, with thunderstorms forecast for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday across the country, and even some scattered showers in the Canaries.

 

 

 

Images: Aemet