A COLD front is set to hit Spain this weekend and could cause torrential rain in the Mediterranean on Monday and Tuesday, according to the State meteorological agency, AEMET.
After an extra-long summer and with temperatures still exceptionally mild for mid-October, weather experts have said another 'Atmospheric Depression at High Levels', or DANA, is heading across the Atlantic.
“A new displacement of polar air will bring rain and a significant drop in temperatures,” according to reports.
This will mainly affect the north, starting from Galicia – the nearest region to the American continent and the one which is always first to be hit by weather phenomena crossing the Atlantic – and spreading over the weekend to Castilla y León, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja and Navarra, before stretching down the western third of the mainland to Extremadura, which borders Portugal.
“Over the weekend, rain will remain intermittent across the centre and north of the mainland, with the possible formation of a DANA at the start of the week,” AEMET says on Twitter.
“Between Monday and Tuesday, a new DANA will cross the Mediterranean area, including the Balearic Islands.
“If a pocket of cold air clashes with sea winds, rainfall could be intense.”
One of AEMET's Twitter posts about forthcoming weather conditions reads: “You'll need your big coat.”
Often referred to as a gota fría, which translates as 'cold drop', a DANA is not necessarily 'cold' but tends to bring extremely heavy downpours.
They typically strike the Mediterranean, monsoon-style, in around October, although lately they have been appearing in August and followed by a hot September and mild autumn.
So far this year, two DANAs have caused flash flooding in eastern Spain, in August and September.
Normally, once they pass, weather conditions change dramatically and return almost overnight to bright sunshine and clear skies.
They are usually enough to replenish ailing reservoirs and provide enough water for a permanent on-tap supply the whole of the next summer.
Despite this, annual rainfall in the last six to eight years has been much lower than average, with the 'meteorological drought' having been ongoing since at least 2013.
Anyone in the Mediterranean area should prepare themselves not to have to leave home or drive anywhere unless urgent at the beginning of the week, just in case.
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