Majorca and Menorca Issue 'Significant' Weather Alert After 'Extraordinary' Warning
Spain's Easter week is facing significant disruption due to a series of severe weather warnings issued by the state weather agency AEMET. The agency, which serves as Spain's equivalent of the Met Office, has alerted multiple regions to strong gusts sweeping across much of the country.
Affected Regions and Alert Levels
The warnings specifically target Aragon, Catalunya, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community. Within the Balearics, this includes popular tourist destinations such as Menorca, Majorca, and Ibiza.
Orange alerts have been activated for Wednesday, April 1, with gusts already recorded at up to 100km/hr in exposed areas like Girona’s Emporda and parts of Zaragoza. Menorca and northern Mallorca are expected to experience winds reaching up to 90km/hr.
According to reports from The Olive Press, a Spanish publication, waves could surge to an "extraordinary ten metres in height", posing serious risks to coastal areas.
Continued Warnings and Agency Statements
On Thursday, the orange alerts are set to be downgraded to yellow alerts. However, AEMET continues to warn of turbulent winds between 70-80km/hr in regions including Tarragona, Zaragoza, and Castellon.
AEMET issued a statement emphasizing: "31/03 11:42 TODAY AND TOMORROW ALERTS | Spain: winds, coastal, suspended dust and snowfalls. Maximum alert level: orange." The agency highlighted a "significant danger", detailing north winds of 60 to 75 km/h (force 8) and waves of 4 to 6 meters, with maximum waves potentially between 8 and 11 meters.
Monitoring and Impact on Tourism
The National Plan for Prediction and Monitoring of Adverse Weather Phenomena (Meteoalerta) aims to provide detailed and up-to-date information on adverse weather affecting Spain up to 72 hours in advance, ensuring continuous updates once conditions develop.
In the Balearics, the impacted coastal areas include the Tramontana Mountains - Coast, North and northeast of Mallorca, the interior of Mallorca, Levante Mallorca, and the coast of Menorca, as confirmed by AEMET.
This alert comes at a critical time as UK tourists continue to flock to Spain in hopes of enjoying Easter sunshine and warm weather, potentially facing travel delays and safety concerns due to the severe conditions.
