Eight Spanish regions face yellow alert for thunderstorms, hail and strong wind gusts on Monday
Spain's state weather agency AEMET has placed eight autonomous communities under a yellow warning for Monday, forecasting thunderstorms with hail and powerful wind gusts across large swathes of the interior, while temperatures slide.
Eight regions placed under yellow alert
Spain's national weather agency AEMET has placed eight autonomous communities under a yellow warning for Monday, 15 June, anticipating thunderstorms with strong wind gusts, hail and locally heavy downpours. The alert covers large parts of the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, triggered by a cold air mass aloft that will generate widespread atmospheric instability.
Timing of the warnings
The yellow warnings activate in the afternoon, with most regions under alert from 14:00 until 20:00. Castilla y León is the exception: its warnings begin earlier at 12:00 and run until 21:00, while in Valladolid province the alert starts at 16:00. Catalonia also carries an additional precipitation warning for Girona, Lleida and Barcelona, where rainfall could accumulate to 20 litres per square metre in one hour.
- Yellow warnings start in Castilla y León (except Valladolid)
- Warnings begin in the other seven regions
- Alert activates in Valladolid province
- Warnings end for most regions
- Warnings end in La Rioja Ibérica and Castilla y León
Storms, hail and strong gusts
AEMET forecasts that the interaction of cold air with daytime heating will cause cumulus clouds to build up over the interior from midday. Thunderstorms will develop in the Central and Iberian mountain ranges, the Pyrenees, the Ebro valley, the southeastern sierras and the eastern mesetas. These storms may be locally intense, bringing sudden gusts of very strong wind and hail, particularly over elevated terrain. The agency advises residents to stay alert to rapidly changing conditions and to take precautions against sudden severe weather.
Temperature drop after days of heat
The unstable air will bring a broad drop in maximum temperatures across the Peninsula. The cooling will be especially pronounced on the northwestern coasts, where temperatures could fall by more than 6°C compared with previous days. Nonetheless, the Ebro valley and the Vega del Segura could still see highs of 35-36°C, and tropical nights (minimum temperatures not falling below 20°C) are expected in the Ebro valley and along the Mediterranean seaboard.
Coastal and island regions stay calm
While the interior braces for storms, the situation is far quieter on the coast and the archipelagos. Southern and eastern shores, the southwest of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are set for partly cloudy or clear skies. In the Canary Islands, northern slopes will see some cloud, while the south remains clear. Morning mist is likely along the Galician coast. Winds will be generally light away from the thunderstorm cells.
