AFTER a long spell of low pressure and, in coastal areas, constant and frequently heavy rain, the Met office has confirmed the long bank holiday weekend will be very springlike – and, in some parts of the country, more like early summer.
The entire nation is looking forward to seeing or joining in its first Good Friday parades since before the pandemic – and, on the Mediterranean especially, the first in four years, given that a last-minute downpour put paid to the 2019 processions in many towns.
And the good news is that these haunting, emotive and unsettling marches (pictured above) are, at last, almost a certainty for Easter 2022, given that mostly-dry climates and sharply-rising temperatures are on the cards almost everywhere in Spain.
The Canary Islands will see the mercury rise to as much as 32ºC, particularly in Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Tenerife – about as high as it gets in a 'standard' high summer – whilst in the south and south-west of the mainland, it could hit 30ºC between Thursday and Monday.
Sunday and Monday will be the warmest days in most of the country, with some of the highest temperatures on the mainland seen in the provinces of Sevilla, Córdoba and Badajoz.
Rain is not entirely off the forecast, according to the State meteorological agency, AEMET – areas of low pressure may persist on the eastern seaboard, particularly in Catalunya and in the south of the Comunidad Valenciana, with possible severe cloudbursts.
These are not expected to affect the Friday evening parades, and any rain on the east of the mainland and in the Balearic Islands from Friday onwards will generally be light and short-lived.
Wet weather is mainly expected in the early hours of Friday, after which a cloudless, sunny sky could see temperatures rise to between 22ºC and 26ºC.
AEMET says the thermometer will break the 20ºC barrier in Madrid and Barcelona, and cross the 25ºC threshold in the south-western Andalucía province of Huelva.
Calm, stable weather conditions are predicted from Saturday to Monday inclusive, meaning the Sunday morning Reencuentro, or 'Reunion' – a symbolic meeting between the Virgin Mary and her newly-resurrected son Jesus Christ, serenaded by joyful music, doves of peace, and sweets and flower petals raining down – should go ahead as scheduled everywhere in Spain.
Occasional spells of heavy rain in inland parts at high altitudes may be experienced over these three days, but will not last long.
Generally, there will be very little unsettlement in weather conditions anywhere in the country over the long weekend, and temperatures will average around 5ºC to 10ºC higher than usual for the time of year.
'Beach weather' is unlikely – except in parts of southern Spain without a coast – but the climate will feel closer to the latter half of spring than it has since the equinox marking the change of season on March 21.
Anyone who has arranged to go away for a short break over Easter has picked the right time: From Tuesday (April 19), conditions will become unsettled again and temperatures will drop considerably.
It might be wet, windy or both, but it will not be freezing cold – the mercury will fall back to figures normally associated with mid-April.
BATTERIES from mobile phones, laptops and even cars are among those that must be recyclable within the next four years in accordance with a new European Union regulation, as explained by Spain's minister for...
YET again and for the 36th year running, Spain holds the record for the highest number of blue-flagged beaches in the world, with its east-coast region of the Comunidad Valenciana having more than any other.
