WEEKEND WASH OUT

PALMA
OVER the Bank Holiday weekend, more than 40 litres of rain fell per square metre on the south of Majorca while gale force winds which peaked at 94 kilometres per hour lashed the region.

The Balearics remained on level one, yellow, weather alert yesterday and will be on alert again today for outbreaks of torrential rain and storms in the north and north east of Majorca and Minorca.

The rest of the islands however can look forward to a significant improvement in the weather over the course of this week.
The heaviest of the rain fell on Saturday night and Sunday morning, although, the rain kept shoppers on their toes throughout the day as they took advantage of the major stores opening. In Puerto Pollensa, 29 litres of rain per square metre was recorded, 28 litres in Lluc and 23 litres per square meter in Palma where winds of nearly 70 kilometres per hour battered the capital.

In Capdepera, winds peaked at 82 kilometres per hour while in Portocolom, the gales nearly reached 100 kilometres per hour.
However, no major problems were reported and the fire service had a relatively quiet weekend considering the torrential rain which fell in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A few underground car parks were flooded and needed to be pumped out but no other damage was caused. Sources at the Balearic meteorological centre that the weather we experienced over the weekend is quite normal for this time of year, although the day time temperatures are apparently slightly higher than usual.

Those shop keepers who decided to take advantage of Sunday opening said that business was acceptable with some claiming that the rain helped to lure more clients in to their stores.

Drivers in the north and north east of Majorca and all of Minorca are advised to proceed with due care and attention today because there will be some isolated outbreaks of heavy rain accompanied by gales.