Date Published: 11/01/2021
ARCHIVED - Freezing temperatures for Murcia Region between Monday and Thursday
ARCHIVED ARTICLE A freezing cold front will replace the snow of Storm Filomena
Firemen in Caravaca at the weekend helping residents to fit snow chains and leave their homes to shop
During the last few days a significant quantity of snow has coated much of Spain, the images most widely published nationally and internationally, being the historic snowfall in Madrid, which received the heaviest snowfall in 50 years. Even some UK media reported the hundreds of motorists trapped in their vehicles, and the army delivering food to those caught out by the snow, although if truth be told, the warnings about the storm were issued several days in advance, everyone had plenty of time to prepare and there was no reason for many of those motorists to have been caught in the snow at all, other than their own failure to heed the warnings beimg broadcast on every form of media.
Certainly the DGT became rather irritated by the motorists who went to play in the snow and then became wedged in a snowdrift…there were a few of those in the northern areas of Murcia over the weekend as well!
On Sunday, Aemet issued another special warning, advising that Storm Filomena will be followed by another cold front and this will bring freezing temperatures to the interior areas of Spain.
Fortunately, Murcia lies at a lower altitude than most of the interior and more mountainous areas of Spain and is warmer than most regions at this time of year, but the north and north-west of the region are significantly higher than the coastal areas, so Moratalla, Yecla, Jumilla, Caravaca de la Cruz, Bullas, Mula, Calasparra and Cehegín do tend to catch the snow and colder weather affecting Albacete and Castilla La Mancha above them.
This week will be no exception, and between Monday and Thursday, night-time temperatures will be very low in the north and north-west.
On Monday the daytime skies will be cloudy, with the possibility of some light rain, but that northerly wind will make it feel colder.
During the day the north and north-west will remain around 6-7 degrees Celsius, but for the rest of us the temperature will hover between 10 and 12 degrees. Overnight coastal areas will drop to 6 degrees, inland Murcia City, which is still at a low altitude, will remain around 4 degrees, and Lorca at 1, but inland temperatures will drop to freezing in the north-west with 0 degrees and below freezing in Moratalla and Yecla, and Yecla expecting -3.
By Tuesday the skies will clear, giving crisp, dry days, with a north-easterly wind and maximums around 4 degrees higher, but overnight temperatures will plummet; Caravaca can expect -5, Yecla -4, and even Lorca will fall to -1. Coastal fringes can expect to stay as high as 4 degrees, but anywhere slightly in from the coast will be at risk of frost.
On Wednesday the skies will be clear, the sun taking daytime temperatures back up to between 10 and 12 in the north and north-west, and 14-15 elsewhere in the region, but again dropping sharply overnight; Caravaca can expect -4, Yecla -2, Lorca 1, Murcia City 3 and coastal fringes can expect to stay as high as 6 degrees.
By Thursday, temperatures will rise by another couple of degrees, with another sunny day and a cold night, although Caravaca is the only area showing a heavy frost with -2, Yecla, back up to freezing, Murcia with 4, Lorca 2 and coastal areas 6 degrees.
By Friday, daytime maximums will be back up to 11 degrees in the north and north-west and 14-16 elsewhere, with night-time temperatures staying above freezing as a new weather front brings wetter, warmer weather.
Gardening tip: Anyone concerned about protecting plants sensitive to frost such as Bougainvilleas or succulents will find a few metres of thermal fleece a very worthwhile investment. It’s used widely by the agricultural sector to stretch over sensitive crops such as lettuce and those who prefer to be environmentally friendly and like to recycle will be able to rescue some of the thousands of kilos of fleece thrown away after use during this cold patch or those who want to protect plants now should be able to find agricultural fleece in most agricultural suppliers on large rolls and sold by the metre. It’s very cheap and well worth the investment to protect sensitive plants.