After days of extreme heat, the official forecast signals a shift in the weather. From Friday and through the weekend, light rainfall is expected in some areas, while on Tuesday the picture could expand across the whole country with thunderstorms and a significant drop in temperatures.
Moist air masses replace the heat wave
According to the Military Meteorological Service, the country will come under the influence of wetter and cooler air masses starting this Friday. This is expected to bring intermittent cloud cover, mainly in central and southern areas.
The forecast also includes Tirana’s hilly and mountainous areas, where several fire hotspots remain active. In this situation, any change in the weather carries weight not only for temperatures, but also for risk management on the ground.
Light rain in the southeast, Korça at risk of thunderstorms
According to forecaster Elvi Jahaj, the rainfall is expected to be of low intensity and will be concentrated mainly in the hilly and mountainous terrain of Gjirokastër, Berat and Korça.
For Korça, the forecast is more pronounced, as the rainfall could also appear in the form of thunderstorms. In Tirana and Elbasan, rain is forecast to be intermittent and light.
Cooler weekend, but the weather remains unstable
According to the official version of the forecast, unstable weather will continue through the weekend. This means the departure from scorching temperatures will not come with full stabilization, but with a transitional phase of humidity and cloud cover.
The drop in temperatures is expected to be around 5 degrees compared with the peaks of recent days, bringing values closer to the August average.
Rain expected to extend across the entire territory on Tuesday
Forecasters predict that on Tuesday afternoon rainfall will affect the whole country. At times it may take the form of thunderstorms, indicating that the cooling episode could come with greater intensity than the scattered rainfall expected over the weekend.
From the 40-41 degrees Celsius recorded at midday, temperatures are expected to fall to 35-36 degrees. A decrease is also forecast for minimum temperatures.
Wind is also expected to weaken
In the forecast issued, wind is also expected to decrease in intensity in the coming days. Its speed, according to the published data, is not expected to exceed 10-12 meters per second.
This is an important element for areas affected by fires, as wind has been one of the factors favoring the spread of flames. However, the real effect on the ground depends on the specific development of atmospheric conditions in each area.
For now, the main signal from the forecast remains clear: the heat wave is expected to retreat temporarily, to be replaced by rainfall, cloud cover and more bearable temperatures.
It remains to be seen how lasting this cooling will be and whether the forecast rainfall will have the distribution and intensity indicated by the official forecast.