THE current cold snap affecting most of Spain is likely to be on its way out, with rising temperatures forecast next week.
From Sunday, the mercury is expected to climb by between 2ºC and 3ºC in parts of the country, although it will take until the middle of the week before the chill factor reduces across most of the mainland and islands.
This weekend will still be bitterly cold in many parts of the centre and north, with a 'yellow alert' in force for temperatures below freezing in the Pyrénéen provinces of Huesca, Aragón and Girona, Catalunya, as well as Madrid, Barcelona, the east of Castilla-La Mancha (the provinces of Cuenca, Guadalajara and Albacete), and the inland Catalunya province of Lleida.
Thermometers in many of these areas are likely to plunge to around -6ºC, or even lower, especially overnight.
Strong winds are forecast throughout Aragón, Catalunya, and the province of Castellón just to the south of the latter, and coastal areas of Catalunya and Castellón, as well as the Balearic Islands, may see tidal surges with the Costa Brava and Menorca on 'orange alert'.
Temperatures will rise slightly from tomorrow (Sunday) onwards in the daytime, but continue to be low at night, widening the gulf between minimums and maximums.
The rest of the mainland will take longer to catch up, with the mercury plummeting to between -3ºC and -5ºC in the provinces of Burgos, Soria and Segovia, in Castilla y León, around -1ºC in Ciudad Real, Granada and Albacete, and 0ºC in Madrid, León and La Rioja, particularly in the centre of the latter region's capital, Logroño.
The warmest nights between now and the middle of the week will be felt in Málaga and at the other extreme end of the country, in A Coruña, at 8ºC and 9ºC respectively.
Daytime temperatures are predicted to rise to up to 16ºC in the provinces of Valencia and Alicante this week, 15ºC in Almería and 13ºC in Murcia and the western province of Badajoz.
The heightened temperatures are said to be due to the presence of an anti-cyclone entering Spain from the Atlantic Ocean, which will stabilise conditions until at least Wednesday.
