Spain will enjoy an unusually warm December bank holiday as a ‘freak’ plume of subtropical air is set to bring highs of 24C well into next week.
According to forecasts from Meteored, the mass of exceptionally warm air for the time of year will spread across the country from Saturday.
The most pronounced spike is expected between Saturday and Wednesday (December 10), when the warm episode is set to peak.
The surge in temperatures is thanks to a strong anticlonic ridge settling over the Iberian Peninsula.
This atmospheric set-up blocks the arrival of Atlantic fronts and allows the warm subtropical air to stabilise over Spain.
‘The most notable feature will be a widespread jump in temperatures, both day and night,’ explained Samuel Biener of Meteored, noting that the shift follows several days of unsettled weather.
Daytime highs will climb sharply this weekend in Alicante, Murcia and Valencia, with maximums of 24C expected.
In Almeria and Malaga in Andalucia, meanwhile, highs of 22C are forecast, while the mercury will hover at around 21C in Barcelona, Badajoz and Zaragoza.
Even northern cities such as A Coruña, Bilbao and Santander could see 19–20C, which is highly unusual for December.
The subtropical inflow will push overnight temperatures up to 10C above normal, with Meteored predicting that frost will vanish almost entirely in inland areas, an exceptionally rare occurrence at this time of year.
The combined effect will produce a broad, spring-like feel across much of Spain throughout the long weekend.
