After several days of relative stability and very high temperatures for this time of year, this Monday the entry of a mass of cold air of polar maritime origin is expected, which will cause a sudden change in temperatures of up to ten degrees, widespread rain and possible snowfall from 600/700 meters.
Although this mass of cold will not be installed for another 24 hours, the weather changes have begun to be noticed, little by little, this Sunday, a day, however, in which the thermometers have still been between 5 and 10 degrees above normal in much of Spain (on Tuesday they will be between 5 and 10 degrees below).
Starting this Monday, the situation will change and lower values than normal for the time of year will be reached, according to the latest information prepared by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
On the other hand, the emergence of the cold air mass from the northwest of the peninsula will cause the snow level to plummet to 600-1000 meters in the northwest quadrant. In the afternoon, it is expected to start snowing around the Cantabrian mountain range and at high levels of the Pyrenees.
Maximum temperatures will suffer a notable general decrease, with the exception of the Cantabrian area and the upper Ebro, which could be locally extraordinary in some areas of the southern half of the peninsula, even dropping ten degrees or more compared to Sunday.
Thus, on Monday up to 16 degrees are expected in Madrid, 14 in Guadalajara, 17 in Toledo or 18 in Málaga and Cáceres. The decrease in minimum temperatures for this day will take place only in the western half of the peninsula.
During the day on Tuesday, instability will continue in much of Spain, with widespread and intermittent rainfall, less intense and probable in the Mediterranean area. That day, the drop in elevation will extend to the rest of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, highlighting possible snowfall at low elevations.
The snow level will generally remain between 700-1000 meters and, with a certain degree of uncertainty, it may drop to 600-700 meters during the early morning in areas of the northwestern quadrant of the peninsula. The largest accumulations during this day are expected in the Pyrenean area, where they may exceed 10 centimeters.
The drop in temperatures will continue to be widespread and very pronounced in the western half, with values lower than normal for the time. The west wind will intensify with strong gusts, especially in the southern and southeastern half of the peninsula, with the probability that they will be very strong.
On Wednesday, the most likely scenario contemplates the arrival of a warmer air mass, associated with southwesterly winds. That day, a probable general rise in temperatures is expected, which may continue on Thursday. Increases in the snow level are therefore expected, with snowfall being restricted to mountain areas in the northern half of the peninsula.
The mass of cold air that enters this Monday will leave behind days of heat, and even record ones. For example, in Nerja (Málaga) on Saturday maximums of almost 31.5 degrees were reached. The thermometers also rose above 30 in areas of Granada and Córdoba, and in El Ejido (Almería), the maximum temperatures were 29.8 degrees.
Precisely in this province, its airport broke the record for the highest minimum temperature for March on Saturday, with 23.5 degrees. The previous record, Aemet comments in its X account, was 21.2 degrees, measured the previous day.
Before 2024, the highest minimum temperature in March had been 17.6 degrees, almost six degrees lower.