Laurence Dollimore
ANYONE hoping for a repeat of last year’s end-of-year weather in Spain may want to lower their expectations.
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According to meteorologists at Eltiempo.es, there will be no so-called Indian Summer this year, or as the Spaniards call it, Veranillo de San Miguel.
The phenomenon typically begins on the last Sunday of September, which is San Miguel’s day, ushering in a week or more of higher-than-average temperatures.
Last year, for example, saw the mercury remain above 30C well into October in many parts of the country.
Even in November people were spotted on the beaches along the Costa del Sol, as temperatures remained in the mid 20s.
However, the departure of Storm Aitor on Friday will leave a cold stream in its wake over the weekend.
This will see temperatures fall by up to 10C below the average for this time of year.
El Tiempo adds: “Although on Sunday, San Miguel’s day, temperatures will rise slightly, the atmosphere will be quite autumnal and we will notice it, especially at dawn…
“On Friday, the decreases will be more noticeable, between 6-8C from one day to the next in parts of the Cantabrian Sea, in the Ebro valley, south of Catalunya, north of the Valencian Community and the area around the Central System.
“On Saturday there will be increases on the Atlantic side of the peninsula, but they will continue to fall in the rest of the peninsula and especially in the Balearic Islands.”
The weather service said many regions in the northern half of the peninsula will have highs below 20C, including: Galicia, the Cantabrian regions, Castilla y Leon, La Rioja, Navarra and possibly Madrid.
In central and Mediterranean areas, highs will be between 20C and 25C and the highest will be in the southwest of the country, where the mercury will approach 30C, including western Andalucia and its southeast coast.
Despite an expected rise on Sunday, most of the country will be closer to 20C than 25C.
The lowest temperatures will affect inland Galicia, northern Castile y Leon, La Rioja, Navarra, Huesca, Teruel and inland Catalunya, where they could be as low as 5C or even less overnight and early in the morning.
Temperatures will pick up again until Tuesday of next week. After that day, they will drop again, beginning in the northwest of the country.
El Tiempo explains: “In general, in most of the peninsula and the islands, except in some parts of the south of the peninsula, it could be a week with temperatures slightly below normal for the time of year.
“This year everything points to the fact that Indian Summer will not happen.”
