PALMA
WINTER hit the Balearics with a bang yesterday as snow fell and north-easterly Arctic blasts sent temperatures plunging.
Two roads were closed by Guardia Civil traffic officers because of snow in Majorca's Sierra Tramuntana, which began falling during the middle of the day.
Vehicles were blocked from using roads linking Caimari and Lluc and Andratx and Pollensa because of the covering of snow as low as 800 metres above sea level.
Hailstorms and heavy rain also affected the area around Sa Pobla, with five litres of rain per square metre falling in a 10-minute spell. Across the region, approximately 20 litres of rain per square metre fell in one hour accompanied by biting cold winds.
Balearic Meteorological Office director Agustin Jansa said the storms were localised and ended quickly. He said some of the bad weather was accompanied by thunder and lightning and temperatures plunged from 18 degrees centigrade to between 12 and 13 degrees as the bad weather affected the region. Night-time temperatures managed to reach just seven or eight degrees.