After a gale force weekend in the Balearics, there seems to be no easing up in the weather. As the Bulletin reported heavy goods vehicles were parked up across the mainland causing chaos for supply deliveries and shipping was hit over the weekend and it appears it is going to be much of the same this week.
The bad weather will continue to batter Mallorca as Storm Ingrid leaves and Storm Joseph arrives. This sums up the weather situation for the coming days, which will continue to be marked by strong gusts of wind. For this reason, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued warnings for several areas of the island for Monday, 26 January.
There is a yellow warning for strong gusts of wind in the Serra de Tramuntana, in the north and north-east until 12:00 noon, as gusts of 80 kilometres per hour are expected. It should be noted that in the peaks and capes, winds may exceed 100 kilometres per hour, decreasing in the afternoon to moderate westerly winds.
In addition, there is a warning for rough seas along the entire coast of the island until 12:00 noon, as waves will reach 3 metres. In view of this situation, Emergències 112 has asked the population to exercise caution and avoid coastal areas. Remember that there are alerts in place for adverse weather conditions. Exercise caution, especially if you are near the sea. It is best to avoid coastal areas.
The unstable weather conditions will persist on Tuesday Mallorca will continue to be affected. For this reason, the Aemet has activated a yellow alert for strong gusts of wind, which may reach 70-80 kilometres per hour, from 2 p.m. onwards.
In addition, cloudy to overcast skies are expected, with the possibility of occasional and isolated precipitation. It should be noted that occasional showers are expected at night, which could be accompanied by storms and small hailstones. Temperatures will rise again. And shipping will be hit with some crossings cancelled.
The strong winds and storms of the last few hours have caused a total of 83 incidents, most of them in Ibiza. According to information provided by the Regional Ministry of the Presidency, between 6 p.m. on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday, the 112 coordination centre responded to 53 incidents in Ibiza and 30 in Mallorca.
The most notable incidents were fallen trees (22 of the 24 total occurred in Ibiza), fallen trees on the road (23, 15 of which were in Ibiza), fallen urban elements (13), liquid obstacles on the road (8), interruptions to basic services (7), rockfalls (2), and landslides (2). In addition, the port of Ibiza had to be closed until 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. According to the Presidency, 78 of the 83 incidents have already been resolved.
And this afternoon, Emergencies 112 has activated an orange alert for strong winds and coastal phenomena throughout the Balearics. According to information provided by the emergency service on its social media account, this means that severity index one (IG-1) of the Meteobal plan has been activated.
The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has maintained the orange alert for coastal phenomena in the Pitiusas Islands until midnight and in the south and east of Mallorca until 6 a.m. on Wednesday, where waves could reach four metres in height. In Menorca and the Serra de Tramuntana, where waves could reach between three and four metres in height, the Aemet has issued a yellow warning until midnight.
Until 6 a.m. on Thursday, a yellow warning will also be in place for strong gusts of wind, which could reach 70 kilometres per hour, in the Pitiusas, in the south of Mallorca and in the Serra de Tramuntana. The adverse weather forecast has forced the shipping company Baleària to cancel several routes scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Among them is the Dénia-Ibiza-Palma route scheduled for 5 pm on Tuesday. Also, according to the company's X account, the Palma-Ibiza-Dénia at 8 a.m., the Dénia-Ibiza-Palma at 5 p.m., the Alcúdia-Ciutadella at 8.30 a.m. and the Ciutadella-Alcúdia at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
In view of the wind, the emergency services recommend avoiding stone walls, advertising hoardings, lampposts and high-voltage towers; closing the doors and windows of houses; removing flowerpots or any objects that could fall into the street; and not walking through parks or tree-lined avenues. Also, given the possibility of rock and tree falls, they recommend avoiding cliffs, embankments, ravines and unstable slopes; not stopping near walls, rocks or large trees; limiting travel on mountain roads; moderating speed on potentially affected roads; and staying away from rocks or earth that may have fallen onto the road. In the event of coastal phenomena, it is recommended not to access coastal areas affected by waves or promenades, breakwaters or cliffs; not to practise water sports; to secure boats; and to alert 112 in the event of anyone falling into the water.