Weather: New weather alert: very heavy and persistent rains in the Balearic Islands and on the Mediterranean slope | Spain

A new adverse situation threatens Spain this week as a result of the arrival of a dana or a cold storm from northern Europe, as reiterated this Monday by Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), who on Sunday to warn the population and the authorities of what is coming. The agency expects abundant, very strong and persistent rainfall in the Balearic Islands and in the Mediterranean area starting Tuesday, just when they have occurred so far this century. Furthermore, this storm, which will last until Saturday, will suddenly bring winter cold, as it will be accompanied by a strong and widespread drop in temperatures, with snowfall at an altitude of 800 or 1,000 meters in the north of the peninsula.

But is it a dana (acronym for Isolated Depression at High Levels)? or a cold storm? It is still not clear, but it is a nuanced and very technical issue that matters little to the general population, since its consequences will be very similar. “The differences between both phenomena are due to complex technical issues,” admits Del Campo. Both are low pressure systems but, according to the Aemet spokesperson, “while the low pressures associated with a dana appear mainly at medium and high levels of the troposphere, the cold storm also manifests itself at low levels,” that is, , which has a reflection on the surface.

In both cases, and this is a similarity, “these are systems isolated from the general atmospheric circulation.” This position is crucial, since both the distribution and the amount of precipitation depend on it. In any case, “the important thing is that both phenomena can have similar consequences, their effects are similar,” confirms the expert.

In this case, the dana or cold storm “will also be accompanied by humid winds from the Mediterranean, which will give rise to heavy and persistent rains in the Balearic Islands and on the Mediterranean side of the peninsula starting on Tuesday”, without being able to rule out others. areas such as in parts of the Cantabrian Sea and the center of the peninsula. “The uncertainty about the final position of this low pressure system is high and this determines the areas that will receive the most precipitation,” warns Del Campo, who asks the population to pay attention to the weather forecast and meteorological warnings given the danger. of the situation. Another important aspect of this new storm is that temperatures will drop significantly between Tuesday and Wednesday and with them, so will the snow level, which could be around 800 or 1,000 meters in the north of the peninsula.

The prediction, day by day

To begin with, this Monday, the eve of the new storm, intervals of strong north winds are expected in the Empordà and the Balearic Islands and probable locally strong showers in the Pitiusas, although these cannot be ruled out in Alicante. There is, due to rain and bad seas in the Balearic Islands and due to bad seas in Catalonia.

The and instability will increase. “There will be rain in a good part of the northern third of the peninsula, which will be abundant in the eastern Cantabrian Sea.” “Stormy showers, which could be very strong, are also expected on the Mediterranean coasts of the Levant and in the Balearic archipelago.” How much rain are we talking about? “Especially in the Balearic Islands, 30 or 40 liters per square meter could accumulate in just one hour and this could lead to some flooding in low-lying areas,” Del Campo fears.

Precipitation will be snow in the mountains of the northern half. “It will snow and, in addition, it could do so copiously, in the Pyrenees, the Cantabrian mountain range and the north of the Iberian system from about 1,800 meters and the snow level will drop to about 800 or 1,000 meters at the end of the day,” says the expert. It may also snow more lightly in the Central system and in the south of the Iberian system. And this whole panorama “with lower temperatures, northerly winds and frost in mountain areas.” For now, in four communities, Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and the Valencian Community, which are of greater importance, oranges – the second level of a scale of three – in the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.

On Wednesday, “the thermal decline will continue, which will be more pronounced in the southern half.” The environment “will be cold, practically winter, with weak frosts in mountain areas and also in moorlands in the center and east of the Peninsula.” Those that will remain between 10° and 15° in the interior and below 20° in practically the entire territory. It will be the peak day, with values ​​between 5° and 10° below normal in the south and east.

And the rains will continue in the Cantabrian Sea, but “the most pronounced instability will be recorded in the Balearic Islands, the east, south and center of the Peninsula, with uncertainty still about the areas in which it will rain the most.” The rains “could be strong or very strong and persistent in the Balearic Islands, the Levante area and southern Andalusia.” In addition, it will snow in the mountains of the north and east of the Peninsula in the early hours from about 800 to 1,000 meters. Throughout the day, the snow level will be around 1,200 to 1,500 meters. In the Cantabrian mountain range and the Pyrenees, these snowfalls may be heavy, with accumulations of 10 centimeters of snow or more. To complete the winter picture, the wind will blow from the north with intensity in a good part of the territory, which will add one more element to the unpleasant character of the day. On the warning map, they will be yellow for rain, storms or rough seas.

As of Thursday, the forecast is not at all clear. “The uncertainty increases a lot, the areas that will receive the most rain will depend on the position of the low pressure area and this cannot be finished with precision yet,” admits the Aemet spokesperson. As of today, “the areas with the greatest probability of intense precipitation will be the Levante area and southern Andalusia”, but this extreme will be confirmed or ruled out as the week progresses.

“It does seem clearer that temperatures will rise noticeably in a good part of the country and that the atmosphere will once again be somewhat milder, more autumnal and typical of mid-November and not as wintery as the previous day,” notes Del. Field. This increase in thermometers will cause the snow to be confined to higher elevations. Looking ahead to the last days of the week, it is likely that Spain will be exposed “to the passage of Atlantic storms with possible rains, especially in the west of the Peninsula, and with milder temperatures.”