As had been forecast, Majorca yesterday experienced some torrential rain and storms. Over much of the island a grey morning was followed by cloud bursts in the afternoon. In Palma the intensity of the rain brought traffic to a standstill with many roads suddenly flooded.
Traffic lights and street light went out across the city as the skies clouded over sharply reducing visibility. Underpasses were flooded, some drivers had to be rescued while basements and garages across the capital and the island were flooded. Access to the Club de Mar and the port was underwater making driving extremely dangerous while cruise ships passengers certainly got more than they had bargained for.
Palma was already busy. The cloudy skies had drawn thousands of people into the capital for the day forcing the police to launch Operation Cloud, controlling traffic and pedestrians. However, the midday outbreak of torrential rain seriously complicated the situation for the emergency services. At first, it started as a light shower but at 1pm the skies opened and there was an accompanying thunderstorm. Access routes into Palma were backed up by long traffic jams and large sections of the Via Centura ring road were flooded, slowing up traffic.
Parts of Calvia were flooded, a number of cars were forced to pull over off the motorway as the heavy rain reduced visibility to just a couple of metres. Owners of beach front bars and cafes were left stranded as their tables and chairs were washed away as clients ran in for cover.
Aemet had increased its alert status from yellow to orange. Temperatures plunged to around seventeen degrees in most of the island. But although the rain was heavy, the amount of rainfall wasn't exceptional. By six in the evening there were 41.4mm (litres per square metre) at the port in Palma, while in Banyalbufar there were 37.4 and in Pollensa 36. Santa Maria had the most rain - 46.6mm. Some parts of the island remained dry.
The storms produced some two hundred lightning strikes across the island. In Sant Elm a man and a woman were struck by lightning in the area of the Torre Cala en Basset. The man is said to be in a serious condition.
Aemet says that over the coming days temperatures are going to be slightly cooler than normal for this time of year. The rain is due to persist today. Saturday will start cloudy and then begin to clear. In the afternoon, though, conditions will slowly get worse with light showers turning to isolated outbreaks of heavy rain, especially by the evening.