Weather patterns are shifting this weekend, bringing rains to parts of Spain and promising a wetter spell in the days ahead. The rainfall is expected to increase gradually, filling reservoirs and easing the drought that has troubled rural areas. The heaviest rain is forecast for Tuesday the 17th and Wednesday the 18th, though the whole region should brace for wet conditions.
Representatives from AEMET describe a notable change in the weather. A spokesman, Rubén Del Campo, explained that a strong anticyclone over Northern Europe will block storm systems in those latitudes, which, paradoxically, helps the storms arrive in Spain as widespread, heavy rainfall. This shift means a more persistent rain event across much of the country.
These storm systems are likely to bring what meteorologists call atmospheric rivers. These are long, narrow columns in the atmosphere that transport huge amounts of moisture. Some originate from the Caribbean and travel across the Atlantic toward the Iberian Peninsula, unloading substantial rainfall once they meet land. The result is a major boost in precipitation across large swathes of Spain.
Stressing the potential benefits of this surge, Del Campo noted that rainfall could exceed 100 liters per square meter in Galicia, around the Western Central system, parts of southwestern Andalusia, and some zones of the Pyrenees by next Friday.
Meanwhile, rainfall totals are expected to range from 50 to 100 liters per square meter in the central regions, Extremadura, and the southeast of Andalusia. In Castilla-La Mancha’s southern edge and parts of the extreme southeast, totals may be lighter, perhaps 10 to 15 liters per square meter.
Autumn temperatures
Overall, temperatures are poised to fall, bringing an autumnal feel that aligns with typical seasonal expectations, with the Canary Islands standing apart as an exception where the weekend may still feel unusually warm.
The early part of the storm sequence is described as a potential storm train moving in. The first of these systems is anticipated to arrive on Sunday the 15th, accompanied by an atmospheric river. The northwest of the peninsula is expected to experience the most rainfall on that day.
Looking ahead to Monday the 16th, forecasts from Marta Almarcha at eltiempo.es suggest that the rainfall will spread to the northeast of the peninsula and reach the Balearic Islands, with more scattered precipitation in the central strip of the peninsula.
The second Atlantic storm is predicted to arrive on the same day. Its core may form off the coast of Portugal, bringing rain to the entire Atlantic-facing side of the peninsula. The storm is expected to make landfall by the end of the day, with rainfall potentially intensifying in the early hours of Tuesday. The atmospheric river will add extra moisture, intensifying the rainfall.
By Tuesday morning, rainfall is forecast to spread across the country as the storm moves northeast. By Wednesday, rain will continue, especially in the western regions and in the northeast during the afternoon.
Almarcha adds that another storm is anticipated to arrive on Thursday, coming from higher latitudes and bringing a fresh round of rain.
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