The map of Spain is thermally divided into two this Friday. Temperatures plummet in the eastern third, with drops of at least six degrees in some places, while they rise again in the western half. The change will be very noticeable in Lleida, Aragón, Almería, Albacete, and the interior of the Comunidad Valenciana.
The abrupt relief may convey the feeling that summer has ended prematurely, but the answer is no. It is a brief and very uneven episode. The heat will continue on the Mediterranean coast and will begin to regain ground during the last weekend of August.
The seasonal forecasts from the State Meteorological Agency also do not point to a cold start to September. AEMET considers it very likely that the quarter formed by August, September, and October will be warmer than usual throughout Spain.
Where temperatures drop the most
The most pronounced drop is concentrated in the eastern peninsular third. AEMET classifies a drop of at least six degrees in maximums as notable and places several areas within that category:
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The Lleida depression.
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The Ebro valley as it passes through Aragón.
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The easternmost tip of Andalucía, especially Almería.
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Albacete and southern Cuenca.
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Areas of the interior of the Comunidad Valenciana.
Lleida features one of the most intense changes. The entry of cooler air from the west displaces the heat accumulated over the past days and causes a notable drop in the central depression of the province.
The same phenomenon will reach the Ebro depression in Aragón. Temperatures will drop in Zaragoza and in large areas of Aragón after several days with elevated values.
In Almería, the thermometer will stay around 25 degrees in the capital, with a minimum expected of 18. It is a very pronounced drop for an area that in previous days had recorded values close to or above 35 degrees in different municipalities.
The drop will also be visible in Albacete, where the maximum expected is around 27 degrees. In southern Cuenca and in the Valencian interior, drops are expected, although the Mediterranean coast will maintain higher temperatures and a humid atmosphere.
Where temperatures drop less or even rise
The refreshment will not arrive in the same way throughout Spain. Maximums will increase in a good part of the western half of the Peninsula.
The rise will be especially pronounced in Ourense, where AEMET contemplates a locally notable increase. The west of Castilla y León, Extremadura, Madrid, and a good part of western Andalucía will also gain degrees.
In Madrid, minimum temperatures will decrease, but maximums will rise to around 26 degrees. The increase will be more noticeable in the Sierra.
In Andalucía, one of the greatest contrasts will occur. Almería will experience a notable drop, while maximums will rise in the western provinces and remain high in areas of Málaga and Granada.
Cantabria will register few changes in maximums. In Asturias, Navarra, and other points in the north, the decrease will be slight or will mainly be limited to nighttime temperatures.
The Catalan coast will also be partially unaffected by the drop recorded in Lleida. Barcelona may reach 33 degrees, compared to the much more moderate values of the interior. Alicante will reach approximately 32 degrees, and minimums will remain above 20 in numerous points of the Mediterranean.
Nights cool down in much of the interior
The drop in minimum temperatures will be more extensive than that of maximums. Nights will be cooler in much of the peninsular interior, although tropical minimums —above 20 degrees— will continue on the Mediterranean coast and the lower Ebro.
Ávila may drop to seven degrees and Burgos to eight. In different stations in high areas of Castilla y León and Madrid, even lower values have been recorded during the early morning.
This nighttime drop will relieve the accumulated heat in homes and will allow for sleeping with temperatures more typical of the end of August. The contrast will be less in Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands, where humidity and high minimums will maintain the summer feeling.
Storms in Almería and unstable early morning in Galicia
The thermal change will come accompanied by instability. AEMET forecasts showers and storms in the southeast, especially in Almería, where they may be locally strong and leave intense gusts of wind.
In Galicia, locally strong storms may also occur during the early morning around Fisterra. Precipitation will tend to lose intensity as the hours go by.
The Canary Islands will maintain the trade wind regime, with strong intervals and possible very strong gusts in exposed areas and on the peaks of the islands with greater relief.
So, is summer over?
No. The drop this Friday does not represent a permanent change of season, but rather a brief oscillation within summer.
The meteorological summer ends on August 31, by a convention that groups June, July, and August as the three summer months. The astronomical summer will continue until September 23 at 02:05, peninsular time, when autumn will officially begin.
Forecasts also point to a recovery of temperatures during the end of August. Almería, for example, will go from 25 degrees this Friday to about 26 on Saturday and 27 on Sunday. The thermal rise will be broader as the weekend progresses.
The seasonal prediction from AEMET reinforces this conclusion: there is a very high probability that the average temperatures in August, September, and October will be in the warm third across Spain.
Summer does not end with this drop. It simply changes location for a few hours: it retreats strongly in the east while regaining ground in the west, before once again gaining degrees during the farewell of August.