Majorca is hit by eight inches of snow and 25 feet high waves, with a dozen towns without power and red weather warnings being issued as Storm Juliette brings Balearic blizzards
- Mallorca is covered in snow and officials have issued a red alert for the second day
- Storm Juliette hit Mallorca on Sunday, known for its sun-drenched beaches
Mallorca is in the grip of a winter storm that is wreaking havoc, with 50 cm of snow closing roads and power outages in dozens of towns.
The Spanish resort island is blanketed in snow today and officials have issued a rare red alert for the second day in a row as an additional 15 inches is expected to fall in the next 24 hours.
Storm Juliette hit Majorca on Sunday, known for its sun-drenched beaches, and has since brought blizzards and cold to the Balearic island.
The Spanish meteorological office AEMET warned that the coastal areas in the north of Mallorca will be hit by winds of 90 km per hour and waves of 26ft.
AEMET issued a red alert for snow today, warning that 15 inches will fall in 24 hours in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range in the north of the island.
Storm Juliette hit Mallorca on Sunday – known for its sun-drenched beaches – and has since brought rare blizzards and cold to the Balearic island
Mallorca is in the grip of a winter storm wreaking havoc on the Spanish holiday island, with 8 inches of snow closing roads and power outages. In the photo: City of Valldemossa covered in snow
Two people walk down a snowy street in the mountain village of Valldemossa on Monday during a heavy snowfall on the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca
A woman walks down a snowy street in Valldemossa on Feb. 27
AEMET issued a red alert for snow today, warning that 45 cm of snow will fall in 24 hours in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range in the north of the island
The meteorological experts had predicted 16 inches of snow to fall early this morning, but more than 20 inches blanketed the city of Valldemossa, where temperatures have dropped to -2C (28.4 Fahrenheit).
The blizzard has also caused power cuts in dozens of towns, including Valldemossa, Alaró, Vilafranca and Port d’Alcúdia.
The 20 centimeters of snow has also led to the closure of up to 15 roads in the Serra de Tramuntana region.
The AEMET has also issued an orange warning for rainfall, with 100mm expected in the Serra de Tramuntana range.
In the last eight hours, the highest accumulated precipitation – 128.4 mm – has been recorded in Pollença, a town in the north of Majorca.
On the rest of the island, orange and yellow warnings have been activated for wind speeds in excess of 70 km/h and precipitation that may exceed 7.5 cm in some areas.
Snow has also blanketed parts of Ibiza and there is an active yellow warning for 4m high waves today.
And in neighboring Menorca, there are active orange warnings for 90 km/h winds that cut the island off from the sea following the closure of Maó port.
A van stops after skidding on a snowy road near the mountain village of Valldemossa
A person walks close to the Cartoixa de Valldemossa palace in Valldemossa
Storm Juliette also hit Spain on Monday, leaving some regions completely white as heavy snow swept across the country.
The storm is expected to bring low temperatures and strong cold winds to the country and the Balearic Islands until Thursday, AEMET said Monday.
Elsewhere in Europe, hundreds of people in Croatia were trapped in their cars on Monday after a snowstorm halted traffic and cut off parts of the country.
The sudden weather change over the weekend after a period of warm and sultry days also caused heavy traffic in neighboring Serbia and Bosnia.
The weather left areas in western Serbia without power and cut off rail traffic to neighboring Montenegro.
