Catalonia Rain Ends but Wind Stays After Storm Charles
Storm Charles dropped 20 to 40 liters of rain on Catalonia overnight. Friday brings strong wind, highs under 20 ºC and a changeable weekend.
Storm Charles left heavy rain across Catalonia overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, with most places collecting 20 to 40 liters per square meter, according to the Catalan outlet go.eln.cat. The rain ends on Friday, Nov. 13, but strong wind and rough seas continue, and a new weather front is on the way.
What Charles left behind
The core of the storm has already moved to northern Italy. The outlet said Charles also produced a rare radar image, with rain covering the entire Iberian Peninsula in a single sequence. Wind and rough seas will last through Friday, though both will weaken during the day.
The wet weather follows an exceptionally rainy October in Catalonia. The first half of November has also been damp, with more than 50 liters almost everywhere. October’s rain was more convective and torrential. The Mediterranean is still warmer than average for the season, but it has begun to cool, which takes energy away from storms. The outlet said instability has no end date, and weeks of active weather lie ahead with no anticyclones.
Friday’s forecast
Friday is variable, with a little of everything. Morning fog is expected in central Catalonia and in valleys sheltered from the wind. Clouds will remain in places, with breaks and lenticular clouds in the southern third of the region and more sun on the southern coast. Much of the Pyrenees stays overcast until midday, before the cloud breaks up in the valleys. Clouds increase in the afternoon in the Girona area, with scattered local showers mostly between the Empordà, the Garrotxa and the Ripollès.
In the Tarragona area, a strong wind blows from the west and northwest. The mestral and ponent winds lose strength during the morning and are limited to the Camp de Tarragona. A damp gregal wind from the northeast arrives from the afternoon. Temperatures drop moderately, with highs below 20 ºC.
What this means for the weekend
The outlet calls the weekend unsettled. Saturday is more unstable and cloudy, with weak, unevenly spread showers from midday into the night, most likely in Lleida, then Barcelona, then Tarragona. The rain will be light by the time it reaches the coast and the eastern half. Saturday will be the coolest day. Sunday brings fog and clear spells in the morning, more cloud in the afternoon and no rain.
The week ahead
Sunday night into Monday brings rain from another front from the west, which the outlet expects to pass largely unnoticed. Monday starts with clear spells and some morning fog, with temperatures edging up. More fronts arrive Tuesday and Wednesday with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Rain is more likely and more frequent in Lleida and the northwest of Catalonia, and scarce elsewhere.
Source: go.eln.cat
