10/09/2013 00:00
TW
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THE suffocating temperatures and high humidity made Sunday one of the hottest days of the year, with a maximum temperature of 36.6ºC and a minimum of 27ºC, making it the region with the highest temperatures in the country. The thermometer did not reach Saturday's record of 38.2º C, but with humidity at more than 60 percent, it gave the impression of being much higher.
However, the beaches were virtually deserted, especially in the north of the island, where there was a lot of cloud.
A few drops of rain fell, bringing more mud than water, and as the clouds began to vanish towards mid-day, bathers returned to the beaches.
On Saturday, a mass of African air combined with a lack of wind caused the oppressive heat and humidity which many people found hard to put up with.
The temperatures were fairly stable, with an average of 33ºC in Palma and 38ºC at the airport, accentuated by a high degree of humidity.
The temperatures in the Balearics are expected to go down slightly from today, and the islands are no longer on storm alert. There will be some cloudy intervals with the risk of scattered showers and the possibility of an occasional storm. For the past few days, the weather man had been predicting heavy rain such as that which hit Inca and Manacor last week, causing extensive flooding in basements and car parks. However, the islands seem to have escaped the worst of the storms, which have devastated Valencia.
Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the worst flooding experienced on the islands, which devastated the Porto Colom area and caused three deaths.
The major cause of flooding during heavy rain is because the water courses which drain off excess rain from the mountains, are blocked with rubbish and undergrowth, preventing the flow of water into the sea. This year, the authorities started to clean up the water courses earlier than usual in an effort to prevent the flooding.