Weather warnings are in force across parts of Spain over the coming days, with amber and yellow alerts for rain and storms issued as up to 100mm of rainfall could accumulate within just a few hours.
With only a few weeks remaining of the school summer holidays, many families will be heading to the popular Spanish hotspot of the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. Manchester Airport recently revealed that Palma in Mallorca, alongside Antalya in Turkey, proved to be one of the most popular destinations this summer.
Alerts across the Balearic Islands and mainland coast
On Friday, August 21, all of the Balearic Islands were placed under a yellow weather alert for rain by the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET. A warning reads: “Accumulated rainfall in one hour: 20 mm.”
On mainland Spain, yellow and amber alerts for rain and storms are in force on the east coast. In Tarragona, accumulated rainfall could reach 40mm in one hour, and 100mm within a few hours, AEMET warns. In parts of Barcelona as well as in Tarragona, a storm warning reads: “They may be accompanied by very strong gusts of wind and hail.”
Storm aftermath and continuing conditions
By Saturday, August 22, warnings for rain and storms remain in place across Ibiza, Barcelona, Tarragona, and parts of Zaragoza. The alerts follow a major storm that hit the Balearic Islands earlier this week.
According to the Spanish news agency Majorca Daily Bulletin, the 112 emergencies coordination centre in the Balearics dealt with 75 incidents caused by the storm that hit the islands on Thursday (August 20). Of these, 31 were in Mallorca, and over thirty involved fallen trees. Just three were for flooding, affecting a road and two buildings.
There was a great deal of lightning at times, but the main issue was the wind, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported. On Thursday night, gusts reached 100 km/h in Porreres, while elsewhere in Mallorca there were gusts of over 70 km/h. AEMET warned that the unsettled conditions are due to continue on Saturday, with thunderstorms possible.
