11.000 lightning strikes

Over 11.000 bolts of lightning struck the Balearics yesterday as the storm continued to menacingly lurk over the region. According to the Balearic met office 11.000 bolts of lightning were recorded between midnight Monday and 11a.m. yesterday, fortunately however, the majority of lightning strikes were out at sea where the eye of the storm has been positioned for much of the past 24 hours. Nevertheless, areas such as Alaro and Lluch were hit by torrential rain again yesterday as parts of the island were under water again last night. The met office reported yesterday that in the previous 24 hours, 48.8 litres of rain per square metre fell in Alaro, 46.6 litres in Lluc, 28.8 in Pollensa, 24.3 in Ciutadella, Minorca and 17.5 in Sa Pobla. However, worst hit was Selva. In the space of just 15 minutes, 15 litres per square metre fell in the village. No serious incidents had been reported yesterday although all of the emergency services remained on full alert, including Palma's newly formed rapid-response storm unit made up of 150 local policemen and women and 40 fire fighters.