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Spain is bracing itself for yet more adverse winter conditions with a dozen communities on alert for freezing temperatures, snow and frost.

 

According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Monday January 23 will see snowfall in the eastern Cantabrian and northern Iberian system together with generalised frosts.

 

And cold, wind, snow and coastal phenomenon alerts have been activated in at least 12 autonomous communities. Asturias, Burgos, León, Segovia, Albacete, Toledo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Alicante and Navarra will be on yellow alert for temperatures of around -4 and -8ºC , while Lleida and Huesca are on orange alert for sub-zero temperatures of around -10ºC.

 

Snow is likely in the eastern Cantabrian and northern Iberian Peninsula, in particular Cantabria, Burgos, La Rioja, Álava, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Navarra.

 

Meanwhile, strong gusts of wind will affect Huesca, Zaragoza, Gerona, Lérida, where they will reach up to 80km/h. Due to this wind, Castellón and Tarragona are on yellow alert for high waves and Gerona has an orange warning for waves that could reach up to five meters in height.

 

Intense rainfall is forecast around the Balearic Islands, accompanied by storms, while widespread frosts in the interior of the peninsula will be more intense in high areas, especially in the Pyrenees.

 

Alerts remain in place on Tuesday January 24, with snowfall forecast around the Cantabrian Sea, north of the Iberian system and in the pre-coastal areas of Catalonia. Intervals of strong winds will make their presence felt on the northwest coast of Galicia and the Empordà, with widespread frosts expected in the interior of the peninsula.

 

The outlook is cloudy in the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean coast, with locally moderate showers occasionally accompanied by some thunderstorms.

 

It will also be cloudy with light rainfall in general in the Cantabrian area, the north of the Iberian system and the upper Ebro, with mist or fog in the north of the peninsula.

 

Moving into Wednesday January 25, and widespread frosts will continue in the interior of Spain, more intense in high areas, with the exception of western Andalucia. There will be intervals of strong winds in the Empordà and heavy showers in the north of Mallorca.

 

Morning mist or fog is forecast in the mountain ranges in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, and northerly winds will hit the bulk of the country with strong intervals in the Balearic Islands and northwest coast of Galicia.

 

Temperatures are unlikely to change notably, with lows of -6ªC in Segovia and highs of 16ºC in Valencia reaching 21ºC in Tenerife.

 

There are currently no alerts in place for Thursday January 26, although heavy cloud and rain is likely in the Balearic Islands and the area around Alborán.

 

It will also be cloudy in the northern half of Spain early on, and in the south during late afternoon and early evening. Precipitation will occur in the Cantabrian area, northern Galicia and the central and western Pyrenees where snow levels are reduced to 400 metres.

 

Daytime temperatures will fall in the centre and east of the peninsula and widespread frost will continue to occur inland, locally heavy in the Pyrenees.

 

Strong wind from the northeast will feel more intense on the coast of Galicia, the Cantabrian Sea and the Canary Islands. In the Strait of Gibraltar, westerly winds are likely to increase as the day progresses and northerly wind from the north or northwest will be felt in the rest of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.

 

 

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