BRITS hoping for sun-soaked beach days in Majorca have been met with storm warnings and flooded airports instead – while back home the UK is basking in scorching summer heat.
Holidaymakers jetting off to the Balearic islands were warned to check their flight status after a freak torrential storm slammed into the Majorca and Menorca.
x.com/@CronicaBalearMajorca was hit by a freak torrential thunderstorm[/caption]
Diario de MallorcaFlights were delayed and sections of the airport sealed off due to roof leaks[/caption]
www.ultimahora.esFootage showed knee-deep water flooding airport hallways after the deluge[/caption]
ULTIMAHORA.ESStaff scrambling to place buckets and barriers as puddles filled passenger corridors[/caption]
Thursday’s deluge — between 20 and 25 litres per square metre in just 30 minutes — caught many by surprise.
Cracked clouds rolled over the island from the northwest, with thunder, lightning and torrential rain tearing through early morning skies, Aemet meteorologist Miquel Gili told Cronica Balear.
A cold drop is expected to arrive by Saturday, potentially bringing more showers and thunderstorms to northern Majorca and Menorca, Aemet has warned.
The Spanish weather agency also shared a graphic showing the several lightning strikes across mainland Spain and into the Balearics.
But by Sunday, some stabilisation is forecast.
Despite the stormy skies, temperatures are still hovering near 32°C in Majorca.
But with the airport drenched and delays piling up, it’s hardly the sunny escape many were dreaming of.
Back in blissfully storm-free Britain, the picture couldn’t be more different.
London and the South East woke to wall-to-wall sunshine and soaring temperatures, with the mercury hitting 30°C today and heading for 33°C this weekend, according to the Met Office.
The weekend will bring more of the same – hot, dry days and warm nights, with only a slight cool-down by Monday.
Travel chaos
The showers have since caused chaos at Palma Airport and dramatic scenes across popular tourist spots like Alcúdia, Sóller and Playa de Palma.
Footage shared online shows water pouring through the ceilings of Palma airport’s terminals, with knee-deep brown water flooding several hallways.
Staff were also seen scrambling to place buckets and barriers as puddles filled passenger corridors.
According to Diario de Mallorca, the leaks sparked fresh fears just days after a skylight collapsed, injuring no one but leaving debris scattered near vending machines.
“If a passenger had stood under the collapsed skylight, it would have been a disaster,” one shaken traveller told the outlet.
Air traffic was heavily disrupted in the hols hotspot as storms made take-offs and landings risky.
Air traffic controllers posted on X: “Very significant delays today at Palma Airport due to the forecast of storms affecting approach and landings.”
To avoid danger, flights were held at ground level until Eurocontrol allowed movement, and others were forced to divert.
Air traffic authorities said: “Our job is to facilitate these diversions while ensuring separation between aircraft.
“Once the arriving crews confirm that they are free of storms, we guide them and sequence them for the approach and landing in Palma.”
Meanwhile, sections of the airport were sealed off due to roof leaks.
“It’s a truly regrettable situation,” said Balearic Government spokesman Antoni Costa.
He called out “serious deficiencies” at the island’s busiest airport and warning that recent failures could have had disastrous consequences.
www.ultimahora.esThe Aemet shared a graphic showing the several lightning strikes across mainland Spain and into the Balearics[/caption]
T.AyugaA cold drop is expected to arrive by Saturday and could bring even more showers[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
