"Spanish Plume" sets stage for severe weather in France and Spain

Dangerous thunderstorms developed across portions of western France and northern Spain on Monday afternoon into Monday night.

The stage was set for strong to severe thunderstorms as warm and unstable air was pulled to the north from central and southern Spain; this is often called the Spanish Plume.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys explains the “Spanish Plume” as, “A flow of very warm, moist and unstable air that moves northward from the Iberian Peninsula into northwestern Europe.”

These ingredients can set the stage for severe weather as storm systems approach from the Atlantic.

Thunderstorms first developed on Monday afternoon across northern Spain. As storms strengthened and tracked to the northeast, they raced across western France Monday evening and Monday night.

The strongest storms brought frequent lightning strikes and strong wind gusts to the region. The strongest wind gusts led to damage in parts of northwestern Spain.

A wind gust of 130 km/h (81 mph) was reported as the Port Estaca de Bares along the northern coast of Spain.

The threat for thunderstorms dissipated into the early hours of Tuesday. 

While drier conditions prevailed across northern Spain and western France on Tuesday, showers and thunderstorms advanced in central France. Storms, however, are not expected to be as intense in this area.