Meteorology A mass of cold air causes temperatures to drop by up to 10 degrees after the "extraordinary" heat episode in December

The arrival of a mass of cold air this Wednesday to the Peninsula will cause temperatures to drop by up to 10°C after the episode of “extraordinary” heat that took place between December 10 and 12 in various parts of Spain and that has broken maximum records. for this month, as reported by the spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), Rubén del Campo.

In this way, after values ??that have remained “exceptionally high” – with 5ºC and 10ºC above what is usual for the time of year -, there will now be a thermal drop that will be accompanied by stable weather and frost for the next few days. .

Specifically, the spokesperson has indicated that the arrival of this colder air mass in Spain will bring a temperature drop from this Wednesday, while a “powerful” anticyclone will provide stable weather for the week. All this accompanied by slightly cloudy skies in general and a cold atmosphere at dawn with frosts early in the morning in the interior of the northern and eastern halves of the peninsula, which will intensify and extend into the weekend.

Likewise, it is likely that persistent fog banks will form in areas of the interior of the peninsula, mainly the northern plateau and points of the Ebro Valley, which is why, according to the spokesperson, the weather will be “very cold” on Wednesday, while the Rains will generally be scarce.

However, rainfall will arrive this Thursday and Friday in the extreme north and the Balearic Islands where there will be some showers, although this situation will subside over the weekend since, according to del Campo, “practically it will not rain” in Spain.

In more detail, he pointed out that the drop in thermometers this Wednesday will mean a drop of between 8ºC and 10ºC compared to Tuesday. Meanwhile, the rains will be limited to the extreme north of the peninsula, where the spokesperson has warned of the poor state of the sea due to waves of up to five meters in the Cantabrian Sea. On the other hand, the northwest winds will blow strongly in the northern half of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands.

In addition, these cold winds will accumulate cloudiness in the extreme north, so on Thursday it will rain in the Cantabrian Sea and the Pyrenees, precipitation that according to the spokesperson could be persistent in the Eastern Cantabrian Sea, mainly in the Basque Country, the north of Navarra and in the The westernmost Aragonese Pyrenees, where snowfall could fall in the latter at levels between 1,000 and 2,000 meters.

Likewise, the AEMET does not rule out the presence of showers with storms in the Balearic archipelago this Thursday, specifically in Menorca, along with a poor state of the sea as well as in coastal areas of Catalonia whose waves could measure between four and five meters.

In the rest of Spain, the situation will be generally cloudy skies while thermometers will continue to decrease, mainly in the east of the peninsula. In this sense, frosts will occur in mountain areas and points on the northern peninsular plateau.

On the other hand, the spokesperson has indicated the arrival of a “powerful” anticyclone this Friday that will lead to stable weather on the Peninsula, although he has pointed out the probability of light rains in parts of the Western Cantabrian Sea and the Pyrenees.

In any case, the general trend for the beginning of the weekend will be slightly cloudy skies with intervals of high clouds and without ruling out the formation of morning fog banks, while in the northeast of the peninsula the “very strong” gusts of wind will persist. .

Frosts will once again be limited to mountainous areas and points on the northern plateau despite the fact that during the central hours of the day the temperatures will be higher than the previous day. Specifically, the values ??will be normal for the time of year, between 10ºC and 15ºC at midday in a part of the interior of the peninsula, although they will be higher in the southern third and the Mediterranean, with fluctuations of between 18ºC and 20ºC.

Regarding the situation for the weekend, it will be marked again by atmospheric stability, a winter anticyclonic situation in which, according to the spokesperson, thermal inversion phenomena are common, in which temperatures are lower in valleys and areas located at low altitudes than in the mountains.

Thus, both on Saturday and Sunday there will be a drop in nighttime values ??in low-altitude areas, plateaus and moors in the center of the peninsula, in contrast to a thermal increase in mountain areas, so frosts will occur in the interior of the peninsula. north, east and center of the peninsula while they will be more intense in low areas, and less frequent and stronger in the mountains.

Specifically, provincial capitals such as Palencia will register drops of up to 5ºC below zero, although during the day temperatures will generally reach values ??typical for this period.

On the other hand, the spokesperson has highlighted “an exception” in the northern plateau and low areas of the northeast of the peninsula, such as in the Ebro depression, places where fog banks will form and establish themselves on Sunday. As a consequence of the thermal inversions, the atmosphere in these areas will be very cold throughout the day.

In fact, Palencia, Valladolid or Zamora will register minimums of between -3ºC and -5ºC, while the maximums will not exceed these same positive values, which is why the spokesperson has highlighted the coldness during this day, while the rains will be zero during weekend.

The beginning of next week will continue with this atmospheric stability that will once again lead to night frosts that will be more intense at the end of the week and persistent fog in the interior accompanied by cold weather, while rain will also be absent during Monday and Tuesday. .

Finally, the predictions for the Canary Islands point to the presence of haze due to suspended dust from Africa, at the same time that some cloudy intervals will appear in the north of the islands with greater relief, where the arrival of weak rains and winds is also possible. with strong gusts. In addition, temperatures, like in the rest of the country, will have a downward trend.