Dramatic change to the weather in Spain: a 'collision' of air masses set to bring rain, thunderstorms and hail

Spain's state weather (Aemet) has warned: "From Friday, and especially over the weekend, the weather in Spain will change dramatically and rain showers will be the protagonists, which will be stormy and may affect a large part of the Spanish mainland".

The specialised portal Meteored agreed: "A large part of Spain will be conditioned by a 'Dana', an isolated depression at high levels, which is approaching from the west and by the entry of one from the north, which will follow later". The result? After a few days marked by high temperatures and a summer atmosphere in many places, everything points to the return of the umbrellas in a scenario dominated by instability.

"With the approach of the 'Dana' - strictly speaking it will be an isolated cold squall - as it is reflected on the surface from the west and the prevailing heat over the Peninsula, the storms will become widespread from Friday and will extend in intensity on Saturday and Sunday, 8 and 9 June", Meteored said.

The forecast indicates that rainfall with storms will initially occur in Galicia, areas of the Cantabrian Mountains in the western area, the Northern Plateau and the Central and Iberian systems. Locally heavy showers are not ruled out and may even be accompanied by hail. On Sunday - European election day in Spain - instability will be concentrated in the northern half of the country, mainly in the eastern Cantabrian, Pyrenees, northeastern areas and areas of the Central and Iberian systems.

Spokesperson for Aemet Rubén del Campo, pointed out that on Friday an Atlantic squall will approach the Spanish mainland and complicate the weather scenario, especially in the afternoon. "These will be more likely and intense in the Cantabrian, south of Galicia, much of Castile and Leon and north of Extremadura areas, without ruling out the possibility of spreading in a more isolated way to other parts of the country, except the Levante, where they will not reach the Balearic Islands", he revealed.

These rain showers will be accompanied by thunderstorms, locally intense and, in addition, may be accompanied by hail and mud due to the presence of suspended Saraha dust in the atmosphere which will give rise to a 'calima' haze. Likewise, temperatures in Andalucía will fall, between 8 and 10C with respect to the day before, but will rise slightly in the central area and the Cantabrian Sea.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the Aemet spokesperson agreed that Spain will continue to be under the influence of low pressure, which will approach the mainland and lead to a general destabilisation of the atmosphere. For this reason, on Saturday he expects rain in the form of showers in most of the country, except in the Mediterranean area.

From Monday onwards, Del Campo forecasts more unsettled weather, although he pointed out that there is still no certainty. Rains are likely - especially in the east - which could be locally heavy. "It is possible that temperatures will continue to drop and that the week will begin with a cool atmosphere for the season in many areas, especially in the west of the mainland," he added.

Meteored agrees: "With the logical uncertainties several days ahead, the coming week is expected to be characterised by a northerly entry that would "collide" with the air mass of the remains of the 'Dana' of previous days. This interaction could generate strong instability during the first part of the week, with rain, storms and a marked drop in temperatures.