Atlantic front brings hail and 70 km/h winds to northwest Spain as east faces 40C heat

Severe weather alerts in the northwest

A new Atlantic low pressure system will push across northwestern Spain on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, delivering heavy rainfall, hail, and strong winds. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has placed three of Galicia's four provinces under yellow weather warnings. The first rainfall alerts will activate at 09:00 and remain in effect until 15:00 across the interior, west, and southwest of A Coruña province, southern Ourense, and the Pontevedra coastline. Precipitation rates in these designated zones are expected to exceed 15 liters per square meter within a single hour. Convective storm warnings will then take effect between 12:00 and 18:00 in A Coruña and Pontevedra, bringing localized hail and electrical activity. During the afternoon, convective showers will track eastward into the Western Pyrenees and the Cinco Villas area in Aragon.

Thermal contrast across the peninsula

The arriving weather front will create a temperature difference of over 20 degrees Celsius between the northwestern Atlantic coast and eastern Spain. Mediterranean high pressure will maintain stability across eastern and southeastern territories, where light calima haze and isolated weak coastal showers are expected. Daytime maximums will reach 18 degrees Celsius in Lugo, 19 degrees in Pontevedra, and 21 degrees in A Coruña and Santiago. In contrast, daytime heating will push maximums in Zaragoza to 40 degrees Celsius, while Logroño, Murcia, and Pamplona will reach 36 degrees Celsius. Temperatures in the eastern Cantabrian region will rise by more than six degrees relative to Tuesday, while the Valencian pre-coastal area and lower southeastern basins will also surpass 35 degrees Celsius.

Meteorological drivers behind the storm

The weather disturbance is driven by a developing depression located west of Portugal and an associated frontal boundary. AEMET spokesperson José Luis Camacho noted that upper-level atmospheric dynamics are intensifying the frontal push as it advances over the Iberian Peninsula.

In the upper atmosphere, the trough off the Atlantic coast is deepening due to the appearance of a powerful polar jet streak on its rear flank, with consequences across the western half of the country.

The system will generate southwesterly wind gusts exceeding 70 kilometers per hour across the northern plateau and northern mountain chains. Rainfall will also spread across the western Cantabrian region, the western northern plateau, the Sierra de Gredos, Extremadura, and northern Huelva.

Evolution through the week

Unsettled weather will persist across Spain through Thursday, 27 August, as the center of the low pressure system shifts toward the British Isles. A secondary cold air mass arriving from northern latitudes will push across the mainland, triggering another drop in interior temperatures alongside widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms. The frontal passage will extend precipitation toward southwestern Spain, northeastern coastlines, the Balearic Islands, and the northern Canary Islands. Conditions will begin to stabilize on Friday, 28 August, as high pressure gradually rebuilds over Galicia and the northwest, though isolated afternoon showers may still develop along the northern third of the country.