Malaga province weather: widespread rain this weekend

Weather

An isolated cold front will threaten outdoor plans and tourist activities, especially on Saturday

Ignacio LilloVisi

Malaga

Malaga province is facing a definite risk of rain this coming weekend.

An Atlantic low-pressure system is responsible for the change in weather. In meteorological terms, it takes the form of what is known as a "cold isolated depression" (BFA), Jesús Riesco, director of the Aemet meteorological centre in Malaga, says.

"Next weekend will likely be wet, although we still cannot pin down the intensity," he states.

Light, isolated showers may appear in the province on Friday. The system will settle over mainland Spain and bring more widespread rain from early Friday into Saturday and through part of Sunday (although Sunday should stay mostly dry in the eastern areas).

Riesco warns that the atmosphere remains unstable. "We're seeing a mix of conditions, with alternating spells of calm and disruption due to cut-off lows and low-pressure systems. These systems often hit northern Spain more strongly, while reaching Andalucía in a weaker form." In this case, however, he expects more generalised rainfall across Andalucía, with locally heavy downpours possible.

José Luis Escudero, meteorology expert and author of the SUR blog 'Tormentas y Rayos', also notes that Atlantic storms are unusual at this time of year, when thunderstorms and cut-off lows are more typical.

Forecast models will become clearer on Thursday about the timing and intensity of rainfall. For now, the latest European model Aemet uses places the heaviest rain from the early hours of Friday and throughout Saturday. However, Escudero warns that the timing could still shift.

Aemet expects 20-25mm on Saturday, 9 May, especially at both ends of the Malaga coastline: the western Costa del Sol (Marbella-Estepona) and the Axarquía district (Vélez-Málaga and the La Viñuela area).

Escudero adds that the rain and changing wind direction will significantly reduce pollen levels, especially olive pollen, which is currently very high along the coast due to westerly winds carrying it from interior areas.

A drop in temperatures

Another consequence of the system will be a noticeable fall in temperatures. The first half of the week will remain warm, with maximum temperatures of around 25-26C in Malaga city.

However, temperatures will drop sharply in the second half of the week. By the weekend, Malaga city will not exceed 20-21C. "The drop will be very noticeable from Friday, when temperatures will fall below normal due to the arrival of a cold air mass at altitude," Riesco says. The average maximum for this time of year is around 25C.

Escudero adds that warm weather is unlikely to return next week. He says there could be snowfall in the higher parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain. He recalls an unusual episode on 2 May 2012, when snow fell at high altitudes in the Sierra de las Nieves, although it melted within a few hours.