A “HINT OF WINTER” FORECAST FOR THIS WEEKEND

Staff Reporter A “foretaste of winter” is predicted for the mainland of Spain and the Balearics this weekend, with quite a “rapid drop” in temperatures leading to rain and high wind. Angel Rivera, head of forecasting at the National Institute of Meteorology, said that the cause of this abrupt climatic change is due to a storm squall which settled last night over the central areas of Spain and resulted in a maximum temperature differential of nine degrees. The northern part of the mainland is the area which will be most affected by the change, as the fall in temperatures are to be accompanied by strong winds reaching more than 80 kilometres per hour, Rivera said. “Intense” rainfall broke over Catalonia last night and was continuing to fall this morning, whilst in Andalucia, the downpour was more moderate, limited to between 10 and 12 litres per square metre. The rain was less intense in the centre and north of the peninsula, registering between four to six litres per square metre. By tomorrow, the weather will “tend to improve” although the cold and storms will continue above all in the Balearics and in the south-east of the mainland. On Monday however, rainfall will stop and the temperatures will gradually begin to climb again. During the weekend, the snow level in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains will settle at 1'800 metres with the beginning of the first snows on the high peaks. This sudden change of temperature is “normal in September” although it doesn't happen every year, confirmed Rivera.