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One of the most dreaded weather phenomena, the DANA (Isolated Depression at High Levels), arrived in Spain over the weekend, placing half the country on alert for storms and driving rain that now looks likely to continue for the remainder of May.

 

Following weeks of scorching temperatures, some of the hottest ever recorded during a Spanish spring, the rain has arrived in earnest to drench the south and east of the country, areas that until a few days ago were parched by drought. And according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), the week beginning May 22 will be largely overcast with plenty of showers and stormy episodes across the board.

 

Over the coming week the temperatures will return to normal, and might even be a little cooler than expected for this time of year.

 

While the instability will be welcomed by farmers whose crops have been withering in the heat, the trouble with DANAs is that they make landfall very unexpectedly and forcefully, and are capable of dumping huge volumes of water in a very short space of time.

 

The worst of the storms on Monday May 22 will hit Catalonia, Andalucía, Murcia, southeast Castilla-La Mancha and the southern half of the Valencian Community, which have all been issued with a yellow weather alert (eastern Andalucía has been upgraded to orange, which represents a significant risk).

 

It will be a cloudy day overall with more intense showers forecast throughout the extreme north of the country, but rain is possible virtually everywhere as the DANA hovers.

 

Daytime temperatures will climb slightly in the north but fall in the south, barely tipping the mid 20s in most parts.

 

It’s a similar story on Tuesday May 23 with overcast skies on mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, although the Canary Islands can expect a few sunny spells. The rain will continue in Andalucía, Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community and Catalonia, where the thunderstorms could be accompanied by hail.

 

Despite the rain, the temperatures will rise a little in the southwest while continuing to fall in the southeast.

 

Valencia is on yellow alert for storms while Andalucía and Murcia have both been upgraded to orange.

 

Although no weather warnings have yet been issued for Wednesday May 24 the general instability will continue. Showers and storms are probable in a large part of the country, expected to be particularly strong and persistent around Cabo de la Nao, south of the Valencian community, Murcia and the eastern end of Andalucía.

 

During the afternoon and evening the rain is more likely to hit mountainous areas and will intensify in northern Aragón and Catalonia, and the extreme north of Spain.

 

Daytime temperatures will climb on the islands and in southern Spain, reaching a comfortable 27ºC in Seville.

 

Predicting the movement of a DANA too far in advance is a tricky business, but meteorologists believe the daytime cloudiness will continue into Thursday May 25, with showers ad storms expected in large areas of inland Spain, as well as along the southern and eastern coasts and in the Balearic Islands.

 

Temperatures will be normal for the time of year, with slight rises in general.

 

No weather alerts have been activated for Thursday.

 

 

Image: Aemet