An Atlantic front will bring widespread cloud and persistent rain on Wednesday 30 September. The eastern Cantabrian coast and western Pyrenees face the heaviest downpours.
On Wednesday 30 September, the eastern Cantabrian coast and western Pyrenees will receive the most persistent rain as an Atlantic front moves in from the northwest. Some downpours could be locally heavy in both areas. Much of the Peninsula will stay under cloudy skies before conditions improve slowly from north to south.
Rain will focus on the northwestern half of the country. Galicia and the western Sistema Central should also record significant accumulations, though totals are expected to stay below those in the eastern Cantabrian area. AEMET said the front would affect much of the Peninsula during the afternoon. Galicia and the western mountain areas of the north should see the most persistent rain.
The rain and storm risk followed a sharp change in the weather after a warmer period, with forecasts also pointing to cooler temperatures in several parts of Spain, including the north.
Cloud cover will slowly retreat during the day. Northern and western regions will still face the most unsettled conditions.
The eastern interior will also see isolated showers. Storms could become strong in eastern Castilla-La Mancha and the southern Iberian System.
Fog and mist will affect the southeast, the Balearic Islands, Alborán, the Strait of Gibraltar and high areas in the far north. Visibility may change sharply outside the main rain zones.
Visibility may shift fast.
Temperatures will move in different directions across Spain. Maximum temperatures will fall in the northwest but rise in the far southeast and northeast. Elsewhere on the Peninsula, they will stay broadly stable, with isolated slight increases. Night-time temperatures will climb in central areas and fall in the west. Little change is expected on the islands.
The unsettled pattern had already prompted serious weather warnings in Catalonia on 29 September, when very intense rainfall and the risk of flash flooding led to red and orange alerts. Those warnings concerned the previous day and should not be treated as confirmation of emergency conditions on the eastern Cantabrian coast or in the western Pyrenees on 30 September.
Wind will add to the unsettled weather. Moderate southeast winds are forecast in the Balearic Islands and along Mediterranean coasts. Alborán and the Strait will have moderate easterly winds.
Across the interior of the Peninsula, the Cantabrian area and Galicia, winds will be moderate and southerly. Very strong gusts are possible in the Cantabrian Mountains.
The Canary Islands will have calmer conditions, with mostly clear skies and moderate trade winds. Cloud could develop over the interiors of the more mountainous islands. An isolated shower is possible there.
The contrast across Spain will be clear. The north will face persistent rain and stronger wind, while the south and the Canary Islands will be more stable.
For residents and travellers, the main hazards are heavy rain in the north, sudden drops in visibility and possible very strong gusts in the Cantabrian Mountains. Extra caution is sensible in those areas because rain and wind are expected to overlap.
This is not a uniform national washout. The northern front will dominate Wednesday and make conditions unsettled across the Peninsula.
Spanish media reports citing AEMET also identified Galicia, Cantabria, Castilla y León and northern Extremadura among the regions expected to receive rain on 30 September. The available information describes a forecast and weather warnings, not confirmed emergency impacts in the eastern Cantabrian coast or western Pyrenees.
