Islands ended “water year” with a surplus thanks to above average rain

PALMA
THE Balearic “Water year” 2006 to 2007 closed with a surplus of water on Majorca and Ibiza and a deficit on Minorca.
However, these values are “within the normal range” and the rainfall was average for the last few decades, according to the director of the Balearic Meteorological Centre, Agusti Jansa.

Majorca and Ibiza had a surplus of six and eight percent respectively, while Minorca suffered a deficit of nine percent. This is regarded as “normal” as the rainfall throughout the last 12 months (October 1 2006 to September 30 2007) was only “slightly” above or, in the case of Minorca, below the average for the past few years.

The “Water year” throughout Spain closed with a five percent excess of rain. In the Balearics there was an “irregular distribution of rainfall”. The month of April was the wettest on all three islands, although it was not so bad on Ibiza.

In Majorca's case March and August were also wetter than normal, although the rest of the year was drier.
Minorca closed 2006 with a “very rainy” December, and recorded alternative dry and wet periods throughout 2007, the month of August being drier than Majorca.

Ibiza, for its part, started the year with a “reasonably dry” January, while August was “very wet”. All three islands had a dry May.
With regard to the month of September, Jansa explained that it has been “very variable” with rainfall which had varied “considerably” depending on the island. In Palma there was an average rainfall of 96 litres per square metre, 52 litres more than normal, which was an “abundant” excess. On the other hand, in Lluc, the trend changed completely, with 54 litres per square metre (55 litres less than normal), which was a “great deficiency” in rainfall. For its part, Minorca had 45 litres per square metre, 11 litres less than normal, while Ibiza had 1.6 litres per square metre, 50 litres less than normal.