MENORCA – With towering waves, the highest was 12 metres, the sea storm has partly made the Balearic Islands inaccessible by sea. Storm Blas did not eventually become a Mediterranean hurricane. But it still has a stronghold over and around the Balearic Islands.
No boats can sail to Menorca until Tuesday because of the high waves, the port authority has announced. The forecast, according to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), is that Blas will remain blocked by two high-pressure areas on both sides over the islands and off Spain’s east coast. That is why code orange will certainly apply to the islands of Mallorca and Menorca until the end of Tuesday.
First half of the week
Storms will continue on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, especially strong locally in Mallorca and Menorca. In addition, the “intensive” winds and the maritime storm will persist in the Balearic Islands and in Catalonia. And the low-pressure area will create clouds in eastern Cantabria, the Upper Ebro, northern Navarre, and the Pyrenees, where it will also rain, and snow above 1,400 metres.
Temperatures rise Monday, fall Tuesday, and pick up again on Wednesday, with possible night frost. From Thursday, Aemet predicts showers may continue in the Balearic Islands but to a lesser extent. The wind will generally be very strong.
On Tuesday it will be cloudy in the Balearic Islands with showers and storms moving from east to west. This could be strong in Menorca and areas of eastern Mallorca, especially the second half of the day, also Ibiza.
Isolated showers are also not ruled out in areas of Catalonia and the coasts of the Valencian Community and Murcia. But this is more likely towards the end of the day.
A stable atmosphere will prevail throughout the rest of the peninsula, with occasional low clouds in the Cantabrian area, the northern plateau, and Galicia. At sunrise, showers can occur on the coast of Lugo or the area of Cantabria. In the Canary Islands, there are cloudy periods in the north of the islands.
Wednesday
A continuation or intensification of instability in the Mediterranean is expected on Wednesday, with cloudy skies and widespread and persistent showers in the Balearic Islands, which could also be strong locally and occasionally accompanied by storms.
Locally persistent showers are also expected in north-eastern Catalonia and in coastal areas north of Alicante and south of Valencia. With less probability and intensity, they can also occur in inland areas of the Mediterranean and around Murcia.
Again, partly cloudy skies and a stable atmosphere will dominate the rest of the peninsula, with some cloudy periods in the northwest of the peninsula, and the possibility of morning mist or fog banks in the interior of Galicia, north of the northern plateau and the upper Ebro.
Thursday
A similar situation to the previous days is likely to continue on Thursday. Including instability in the Mediterranean and a mostly stable atmosphere, with partly cloudy skies in the rest of the peninsula. Occasional showers and storms which can be locally strong and/or persistent are likely in the Balearic Islands, mainly Ibiza and Majorca, around the Gulf of Valencia and northeast of Catalonia.
With less probability and intensity, they may also occur in inland areas of the Eastern Mediterranean. Occasional fog and low cloud cover in the eastern Cantabrian area, inland Galicia and in the Strait of Gibraltar area.
In the Canary Islands, intervals of cloud and a low probability of rain are higher in the north of the islands.
Friday and weekend
Finally, for Friday and the weekend, instability in the Mediterranean is likely to continue, with cloudy skies and likely showers in the Balearic Islands, which also cannot be ruled out along the Mediterranean coast of the peninsula, mainly in north-eastern Catalonia, north of Alicante and south of Valencia.
Stay careful despite spectacular pictures
Protección Civil, the civil defense service has advised against taking a closer look at the towering and certainly spectacular waves. “Don’t endanger your life,” the agency said in a statement on Monday. “The extraordinary conditions of the sea can cause you to be swept away by the water,” the warning reads.
