The episode of snow and cold that affected Catalonia on Monday gave way to an extreme drop in temperatures on Epiphany Day. In the Lleida province, locations such as Vielha (-10.5 ºC), El Pont de Suert (-9.4 ºC), and La Seu d'Urgell (-8 ºC) registered the lowest minimums of the day.
According to the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteocat), some areas had not reached such low values in years. Notably, La Granadella (Garrigues) recorded -8.9 ºC, the lowest temperature since December 24, 2005. In Lleida city, thermometers dropped to -4 ºC.
In the Arborètum area of Lleida, thermometers remained below zero for 15 hours, from 8:00 PM on Monday until 11:00 AM on Tuesday.
Although Protecció Civil de la Generalitat deactivated the snow alert on Monday, yesterday it issued a pre-alert for a new round of intense snowfall starting today at noon. Snow depths exceeding 20 centimeters are expected at 1,400 meters in Vall d’Aran, Alta Ribagorça, and Pallars Sobirà.
The current active alert is for wind, with a risk of strong gusts, especially in the Empordà region, where speeds could exceed 108 km/h. The wind may lift the snow, creating a freezing fog that drastically reduces visibility. Meteocat forecasts that the intense cold spell will continue for much of the week, with widespread frost across inland Catalonia.
