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With just one day to go until Spain's total solar eclipse, the latest forecast points to a hot day on Wednesday August 12 with largely clear skies across the mainland and both archipelagos, although cloud could get in the way in a few spots.

 

The path of totality will sweep across Spain from west to east, passing over cities including La Coruña, Oviedo, León, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia and Palma. Because Spain sits right at the end of that path, the eclipse will unfold as the sun is dropping close to the horizon, beginning at around 7.30pm local time, with totality peaking between 8,26pm and 8.35pm.

 

Low cloud is expected over northern Galicia and parts of the Cantabrian coast, particularly Asturias and western Cantabria, which could make for a greyer sky during the eclipse, although occasional breaks may still allow glimpses of it. Similar low cloud is forecast around the Strait of Gibraltar, affecting the coasts of Málaga and Granada as well as Ceuta and Melilla.

 

Cloud is also likely to build during the afternoon around the Cantabrian Mountains, the Iberian System and the Pyrenees, covering inland Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country, along with La Rioja and northern Navarre. The Pyrenees are expected to see the thickest cloud of all.

 

None of this should block the view completely, but with the sun so low on the horizon, even distant cloud sitting kilometres away could interfere with visibility.

 

 

The eastern third of the country faces a similar risk, with cloud forecast to build over inland Catalonia, northern and southern Aragón, especially east of Teruel and the Pyrenees, plus inland Valencia, Murcia, south eastern Castilla-La Mancha and eastern Andalucía. Isolated showers or storms remain possible in the Pyrenees, inland Catalonia, Castellón and the mountains of eastern Andalucía, though no rain is expected anywhere else in the country.

 

A yellow warning has been issued for Wednesday covering storms and rainfall of up to 20mm in an hour in the north west of Murcia, the Almanzora and Vélez valleys in Almería, and Guadix and Baza in Granada. Along the Mediterranean coast, some high cloud is likely, but it shouldn't stop people watching the eclipse.

 

Elsewhere, the skies should stay largely clear. Castilla y León, Madrid, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and western Andalucía can all expect good visibility for the eclipse, whether they experience it as total or partial, and the Balearic Islands, which fall within the path of totality, should also enjoy clear conditions.

 

Temperatures are expected to climb well into the 30s on Wednesday, with highs of 35-37°C forecast across much of inland Spain and the Balearic Islands. The Guadalquivir Valley could see temperatures pass 40°C, with similarly high readings possible in isolated parts of the Ebro, Tagus and Guadiana valleys.

 

The mercury is expected to start easing slightly by the time the eclipse reaches its peak, though the heat will still be intense across most of the country.

 

 

 

Images: Archive / Aemet