Spain is about to swing from cold rain to 34C heat and tropical nights

A lot of people across Spain were still reaching for jackets and umbrellas this week. Some areas in the north were dealing with heavy rain almost every day, while parts of the Pyrenees even saw fresh snowfall after a burst of cold air moved down from the north. In Catalunya, Galicia, Cantabria and Castilla y León, the weather felt far more like early spring than the second half of May.

Now the forecast is suddenly changing completely.

According to Aemet, Spain could be about to enter its warmest stretch of weather so far this year, with temperatures expected to rise sharply from the middle of next week. In several parts of the country, thermometers may climb above 32C and even 34C. Forecasters are also warning that some southern areas could experience the first tropical nights of the season, where temperatures stay above 20C overnight.

After weeks of unstable weather, the switch is expected to happen surprisingly fast.

The rainy weather affecting Spain is finally starting to calm down

For many people, this spring has felt unusually unpredictable.

One moment terraces are packed and people are talking about beach weather. Then suddenly temperatures crash again, storms arrive and mountain areas wake up to snow.That has basically been the story over the past week.

Northern Spain has seen repeated showers and unstable conditions, especially in Galicia, Cantabria and parts of Castilla y León. Catalunya also spent several days under grey skies with periods of heavy rain affecting both coastal and inland areas.

At the same time, colder air moving across the peninsula brought late season snow back to parts of the Pyrenees, something that looked strange considering how close Spain already is to summer.

But the atmosphere is now beginning to settle.

Aemet says conditions are beginning to stabilise across much of the country after several days of unsettled weather. Temperatures are already starting to recover in many areas today, although some cooler air is still lingering in parts of the north and inland regions.

That does not mean the storms are completely gone yet.

Some isolated showers could still develop later today, especially around mountainous areas in northern and central Spain as well as parts of the eastern interior. But compared with the weather seen over the past week, the overall situation is expected to become much calmer heading into next week.

And once warmer air starts building properly next week, the change could become very noticeable.

Some parts of Spain may not cool below 20C at night

The biggest difference people will probably notice first is not necessarily during the day. It is at night.

Meteorologists are already talking about the possible arrival of tropical nights in parts of southern Spain. That happens when overnight temperatures stay at or above 20C, making evenings feel heavy and sometimes uncomfortable for sleeping.

Areas of Andalucía, Extremadura and the Region of Murcia are among the places most likely to see those warmer nights first.

For many people, that is usually the moment the weather starts feeling like proper summer rather than just a warm spring day.

The daytime temperatures are expected to climb quickly too.

According to Aemet, the hottest conditions should arrive from Wednesday, May 20, especially across the southern half of the peninsula and parts of the northeast where temperatures may exceed 32C to 34C.

After so much rain recently, beaches, terraces and outdoor spaces are likely to fill up very quickly the moment the sunshine properly returns.

Especially because many people probably feel slightly exhausted by how unstable the weather has been lately.

The end of May is still looking unusually warm

At the moment, forecasts suggest the warmer pattern may continue into the final week of May as well.

There is still some uncertainty around exactly how temperatures and rainfall will evolve later in the month, but current predictions continue pointing towards above average heat in much of Spain.

Some localised showers could still appear in isolated areas, but widespread rain currently looks far less likely than it did over the past week.

In Catalunya, however, unsettled conditions may linger a little longer than elsewhere.

Meteocat says Monday could still bring showers in parts of Barcelona and Girona provinces, particularly along the coast and inland areas. But even there, the weather is expected to stabilise rapidly from Tuesday onwards as high pressure strengthens again.

And honestly, the contrast feels quite dramatic.

Only days ago people were talking about cold mornings, storms and snow in the mountains. Now attention is already shifting towards intense heat and sleepless nights.

That kind of sudden weather swing is not completely unusual in Spain during late spring. Still, when temperatures jump from cold rain to 34C within the space of a few days, it definitely gets people talking. Especially after such a strange few weeks weather wise. And if the forecasts hold, many parts of Spain may end next week feeling much closer to July than mid May.