As forecast on Sunday, the weather turned from the glorious sunshine we have been enjoying over Xmas to freezing snow and gale force winds.
Palma.—After a lovely mild Christmas, here in the Balearics we are in for a freezing and windy start to the New Year, the Met. office forecast yesterday.
Yesterday morning, some 16 kilometres of the road network in the Serra de Tramuntana were closed due to either heavy snow or black ice.
The stretch of road between the Sa Calobra cross roads and the ses Barques viewpoint was closed because of ice while only residential and emergency traffic was allowed to use the road between Escorca and Fornalutx because of the heavy dump of snow over night.
By 2pm, all roads were open again but drivers are still being advised to proceed with extreme caution over the coming days with night time temperatures in the mountains climbing little above freezing.
In fact, on Sunday night in Lluc, the temperatures plummeted to-0.5ºC. And, at above 1,300 metres, over 12 centimetres of snow fell.