- Thank God Mallorca is barely out of the storm
The feared severe storm bypassed the holiday island of Mallorca. Most of the rain fell over the sea around the Balearic island during the night. On land, there were only moderate rainfall and minor flooding. The national weather service Aemet downgraded the storm warning from the highest level red to orange.
Originally, the worst part of the thunderstorm front was supposed to sweep over the island on Thursday night and Friday morning. Aemet had not ruled out that up to 180 liters of precipitation per square meter could fall within a few hours. However, most of the rain fell into the sea. Until 15:00, the alarm level was still red in the north of Mallorca, then briefly orange, and from the evening onwards, yellow, warning of rain and thunderstorms on Friday.
More rain in the northwest of the island
The fear of a severe storm on the island was so great at times that the Balearic government cancelled most public festivals and advised people to stay indoors as much as possible.
As with the heavy rain in June, the rainfall was unevenly distributed across the island. While only a few drops fell in the island's capital Palma at first, the towns of Sóller and Port de Sóller in the northwest were hit harder. There, water rushed through some streets and the police had to rescue ten people from an apartment where the water was already knee-high and the door would not open, according to local newspapers. Later, it also rained in Palma, but only briefly.
Disruptions in air traffic
In the meantime, Mallorca tourists had to be patient, especially when arriving and departing. There were hours-long delays and some flight cancellations at Palma airport. However, as the weather improved, air traffic also slowly returned to normal.
Despite the majority of the heavy rain falling over the sea, additional rain still posed a threat in the northwest of the island, affecting places like Sóller and Port de Sóller significantly. Water levels became high enough to require police rescues in some apartments and disrupt normal street flow.
The unpredictable weather patterns continued to affect travel plans, as Palma airport reported delays and cancellations for incoming and outgoing flights, causing inconvenience for many tourists.
