The heat continues and Spain is approaching 40ºC today, but Aemet warns: strong storms with hail are coming to these areas.

Summer is in full swing in Spain , and this Tuesday will be no exception. Several provinces are preparing for a scorching day, with temperatures hovering around 40°C. However, the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has already sounded the alarm, as this lull in intense heat is numbered. Our country is already preparing for a change in the meteorological script marked by instability, which lurks on the horizon and will bring with it strong storms and hail .

Tuesday presents a clearly divided outlook. While in the extreme northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, especially in half of Galicia and the western Cantabrian Sea, the Atlantic circulation will bring overcast skies and some light rainfall, the rest of the Iberian Peninsula will enjoy scorching sunshine. However, the influx of Mediterranean moisture will bring some clouds to the northern half of the Levante region, with the possibility of scattered drizzle, but nothing that will prevent you from getting out your sunscreen.

Temperatures will be the real focus this Tuesday. Albacete, Córdoba, Granada, and Jaén are under heat warnings, with highs expected to reach 39°C in Andalusia . In fact, the temperature rise will be widespread across much of the country, with notable increases in Navarre and surrounding areas.

In large areas of inland Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha, temperatures are expected to rise well above 36°C, while nights will remain tropical in the Mediterranean and the Guadalquivir Valley, staying below 20-22°C. In the Canary Islands, the trade winds will bring cloudy skies to the north with occasional precipitation, and sunshine will reign in the south, with little change in temperatures.

Radical change in time

But if there's one thing clear about meteorology, it's that nothing is permanent. Starting Wednesday, the scenario will change dramatically, and the stifling heat will give way to unstable conditions that promise to be intense. The AEMET (Meteorological Agency) has issued yellow and orange warnings for storms that will affect several regions, especially the eastern Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.

Catalonia will bear the brunt of this onslaught. The Barcelona Pre-Pyrenees, the Barcelona Central Depression, and the Girona Pyrenees are under significant risk (orange warning) for rain, with accumulations of up to 40 mm in one hour . But the most worrying aspect is that this rainfall will come with storms with a high probability of large hail , which could cause problems.

Not only the highest areas of Catalonia will feel the fury of the sky. The Aran Valley, the Lleida Pyrenees, and the Lleida Central Depression are also on alert (yellow risk) for rain and storms with hail, although with somewhat lower accumulations, up to 15 mm in one hour.

The instability will extend across much of the eastern coastal and inland areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The Barcelona Pre-coastline, the Pre-coastline and Empordà region in Girona, the northern and southern Pre-coastline of Tarragona, the southern coast of Tarragona, and the inland and northern coast of Castellón are also preparing for intense rainfall of up to 30 mm in one hour, accompanied by storms with hail, all under yellow warnings.

Starting Friday, the situation will tend to calm. The forecast for the weekend calls for predominantly sunny weather across much of the country, as confirmed by Aemet on social media.