Balearics held to ransom by freak weather

Grin and bear it, that is about all that can be done with regards to the weather with it not forecast to start improving until Saturday and it will get worse in the meantime. The Balearics were virtually cut off yesterday as the heavy rain and high winds forced most shipping companies to cancel ferry links between the mainland and the islands and flights to Ibiza were also disrupted. A number of flights were forced to circle the island, waiting for a window in the weather to land. However two flights from Germany were forced to circle the island for 95 and 47 minutes respectively and two other domestic flights from Madrid also had to remain in the air for 40 minutes before conditions improved, allowing them to land. All ferry crossings between Majorca and Minorca were postponed and only a skeleton service was operating between Ibiza and Formentera. There was little movement in the key fishing ports, the Alcudia, Mahon and Ciutadella fleets remained in port. The Balearia shipping line said that its ferry which operates between Palma-Ibiza and Denia had to be diverted to Valencia, along with one of its merchant ships. The Bahia de Malaga ferry which runs between Valencia and Palma is not expected to leave Palma until 8am this morning and yesterday lunch time all the high speed catamaran links between Ibiza and Formentera were cancelled. Director of the Balearic weather centre, Agustín Jansa, said yesterday that in some parts of the Balearics, on Monday night, 100 litres of rainfall per square metre was recorded and that, up in the mountains, the wind reached gusts of 100 kilometres per hour. The 112 emergency centre reported no incidents yesterday afternoon, although with further heavy rainfall expected today, all the emergency services are on alert. In Sant Joan, Ibiza, 107 litres of rainfall per square metre was recorded in 24 hours yesterday. In Lluc, 61 litres per square metre was reported and in Selva 35, Inca 26 and Santanyi 28. Winds reached a maximum speed of 109 kilometres per hour in the north of the island and at Minorca airport and the Porto Colom lighthouse, gusts of 70 kilometres per hour were recorded. Head of weather forecasts at the National Meteorological Institute in Madrid, Angel Rivera, said yesterday that the cold front sweeping across Spain and the Balearics at the moment “is very unusual” for May, adding that rainfall for the month could reach new records. The worst of the weather should start to ease off this afternoon, but there will be no significant improvement until Saturday.