Summer is taking another break: after the high temperatures seen recently, Spain is already facing another significant change in the weather. From Thursday, an Atlantic low-pressure system will initially bring rain and thunderstorms, followed by a surge of significantly cooler air across the Iberian Peninsula. Temperatures could be unusually low for the end of August, particularly on Friday.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
Spain is once again experiencing a notable change in the weather in recent days. While parts of the east and south-east of the peninsula are still seeing midsummer temperatures well above 35°C, a much more unsettled weather pattern has already developed in the north-west.
Another change is now on the horizon: a low-pressure system near the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula is bringing several weather fronts and areas of instability. Heavy rain and thunderstorms will be followed by a significant drop in temperatures.
From rain and thunderstorms to polar air
The change in weather will initially begin with rainfall before the colder air mass spreads across large parts of the country. The north-west will be particularly affected at first, with locally very heavy rainfall expected in Galicia.
According to current forecasts, areas in the west of the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra could locally receive around 150 litres per square metre or more. Thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind are also possible.
Behind the weather front, the airflow shifts, bringing significantly cooler air into Spain. Meteorologists therefore expect temperatures to fall across almost the entire country from Thursday, with the drop likely to reach its peak on Friday.
The drop in temperatures will be particularly pronounced in some regions
The scale of the change can be seen by looking at individual regions. In Madrid, temperatures are not expected to rise above around 25°C on Thursday, while around 27°C is forecast for Toledo.
The change is even more striking in the south-east. In Albacete, temperatures are expected to fall from around 34°C on Wednesday to just 28°C on Friday. In Murcia, the contrast is even greater: temperatures are initially forecast to reach 36–37°C on Thursday, before dropping to around 27°C on Friday.
This means that, in some regions, temperatures could differ by around 10°C from one day to the next.
Nights are set to become noticeably cooler as well
It is not just the daytime highs that are set to change. Nights are also expected to become significantly cooler, particularly inland.
In higher-altitude regions, overnight lows could in some places fall below 10°C. This creates an unusual contrast at the end of August: while some parts of the country could still be experiencing summer heat on Thursday, just 24 to 48 hours later it could already feel distinctly chilly in parts of Spain. The difference will be particularly noticeable in the north and across the central interior.
Not all of Spain will turn cold at the same time
Despite the forecast drop in temperatures, weather conditions will vary considerably from region to region. In the eastern Cantabrian area and the Ebro Valley, temperatures could initially rise significantly once again. This is due to southerly winds temporarily bringing warmer air into these regions.
Heat will also remain more persistent along parts of the Mediterranean coast and in the south-east for the time being. It is only as the cooler air mass advances further that the drop in temperatures will spread across increasingly large parts of Spain.
Thursday and Friday will be anything but summery
On Thursday, the weather front will continue to spread across the Iberian Peninsula. Rain, thunderstorms and, at times, strong winds will accompany the change in weather, while temperatures will already begin to fall noticeably in many regions.
On Friday in particular, the cooler air mass will reach large parts of the country, making the forecast drop in temperatures particularly noticeable. However, the cold spell is expected to be short-lived. By the weekend, weather conditions could already begin to settle down again, with temperatures rising significantly once more in many parts of the country.
The End of summer?
Although the current temperatures may feel almost autumnal in some places, this change in weather does not mean the end of summer. Instead, it once again highlights how changeable weather conditions can be in the second half of August. Following the exceptionally warm periods, the Atlantic weather pattern is now bringing a marked contrast.
The outlook for the coming days makes one thing particularly clear: Spain is experiencing an unusually sharp shift between summer heat, severe weather and significantly cooler temperatures within a very short period of time. And this time, the drop in temperatures is not something expected later next week – it will already be noticeable across large parts of the country on Thursday and Friday.
