THUNDERSTORMS and heavy downpours have swept across large parts of Spain this Thursday as the relentless heat that has characterised this summer clashes spectacularly with a trough of low pressure from the Atlantic.
State meteorological agency Aemet have issued yellow and orange weather alerts for 11 autonomous communities, including much of the eastern half of the Iberian Peninsula, for storms and intense spurts of rainfall.
It comes just one day after a rare ‘extraordinary danger’ red alert was issued for Valencia and Alicante amid sweltering highs of 44C and the hottest night ever recorded on the Costa Blanca, with temperatures failing to drop below 30C in many areas.
The intense heat on the eastern coast, driven by a patch of high pressure and strong westerly winds from the Mediterranean, has clashed with a fresh mass of cool air that has sent temperatures tumbling by more than 10C across northern and central Spain.
READ MORE: Spain to see 10C temperature drop tomorrow — but Costa Blanca and east coast will have to wait
The cooling trend is being driven by a high-altitude atmospheric depression moving across the country from the northwest.
The mixing of hot and cool air is forecast to provoke unstable conditions, with storms, locally torrential rainfall, strong wind gusts and even giant hailstones expected in areas including Valencia, Alicante, Castellon, Catalunya, the Balearic Islands and Aragon.
The most severe conditions are forecast for Aragon and Catalunya, with particular impact expected in the Lleida depression and the pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Tarragona.
These storm cells could reach the Barcelona and Girona coastlines, including the Barcelona metropolitan area.
READ MORE: Spain’s soaring July temperatures tie for hottest month ever since modern records started
According to the European Severe Storms Laboratory, there is a 40 per cent chance of hailstones exceeding 2cm along the Catalan coast between 9pm and midnight on Thursday night, with a 10 per cent chance of some exceeding 5cm in diameter.
Powerful wind gusts exceeding 90km/h are also expected, including in inland areas of Castilla y Leon and southern Navarra.
READ MORE: How the locals survive the blistering summer heat in Spain’s hottest towns
Further south, temperatures are expected to remain high, with maximums pushing towards 37C, although that could change rapidly as the weather system develops throughout the day.
From around 3pm, severe storms are expected to develop across Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia, with a risk of flash flooding in ravines, dry riverbeds and rivers.
Significant lightning activity is also expected.
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