Spanish resorts were hit by heavy rain and winds today as the August heatwave succumbed to storms.
Bad weather caused flight cancellations and delays in Ibiza and Mallorca.
Tornado-like winds were seen this morning on the coast near the Mallorcan town of Santanyí and later in Port Adriano, causing concern among onlookers on land about the safety of small boats and jet skis still at sea.
Eight people were injured on a yacht that crashed into rocks at Cala Saona in Formentera, six of whom had to be taken to hospital for treatment for their injuries after a dramatic rescue.
Photographs from the scene showed the boat leaning sideways against the rocks as the occupants tried to keep their balance on the deck with their life jackets on.
Several ambulances were called to the scene to help the men get off the boat and take them to hospital, and a coastguard helicopter was mobilised.
Eight people were injured when a yacht crashed into rocks at Cala Saona in Formentera, Spain
Holidaymakers flee a beach in Magaluf as storms hit the resort today
The photograph shows a lightning bolt striking the sea during a storm in Formentera, Spain
Boats moored at sea during a storm in Formentera, Spain
Ibiza and Formentera were the first to be affected by the storms before they moved towards Mallorca and Menorca.
An orange weather warning had been issued for the islands, with a dramatic change in the weather expected.
Councillors in Calvià, which includes the popular British resort of Magaluf, reacted by suspending local fiestas and other outdoor activities that were scheduled for today and tomorrow.
As the storm hit hard today, emergency services in the tourist destination reported trees had fallen on several streets and said lightning had caused damage to a police station.
Parts of the Costa Blanca, which includes resorts such as Benidorm and Calpe, have also been hit by heavy rain and hail and overnight weather agency Aemet raised the storm warning from yellow to orange and the bad weather is forecast to last until tomorrow.
Further north, 300 people had to be evacuated from a supermarket in Ontinyent, near Valencia, when heavy rains caused its roof to partially collapse.
Tourists flee Magaluf beach today as storms hit
Ibiza and Formentera were the first to be affected by the storms before they moved towards Mallorca and Menorca.
An orange weather alert has been declared in the Balearic Islands
But just like earlier this year, when the Balearic Islands and the Costa Blanca were hit by bad weather, British holidaymakers on the Costa del Sol were still enjoying the sunshine under blue skies with temperatures of 32ºC today.
And meteorologists are predicting constant sunshine and stifling heat in tourist destinations such as Marbella over the next few days.
A summer storm brought chaos to Madrid in late June as blue skies gave way to hail, torrential rain and strong winds.
Trees were blown down and locals and tourists had to take shelter in bars and shop entrances after the incredible change in weather.
Some metro stations in the Spanish capital were affected by flooding and metro trains suffered delays.
The stairs leading to Canal station on Madrid’s metro line 7 were transformed into a river as stunned onlookers took selfie videos of the scene.
A fortnight earlier, large areas of eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands were hit by torrential rain.
Spanish resorts were hit by storms and strong winds today
Strong winds caused huge waves on the coast of Formentera, Spain
Adverse weather conditions have forced the suspension of normal operations at Palma de Mallorca airport, with aircraft diverted to Menorca, Ibiza and Barcelona.
One of the airport’s duty-free shops had to close after rain came in through the roof.
In San Antonio de Ibiza, the gutters overflowed in some areas of the town, forcing holidaymakers to walk on human excrement.
The provinces of Murcia and Alicante were also severely affected, with cars swept away in the streets during flash floods.
Just under a fortnight ago, hail and rain sent tourists in Benidorm running for shelter on a day of crazy weather in the famous Costa Blanca resort.
Images of the storm, which lasted about 15 minutes and brought another sweltering day to a premature end on the coast, showed ice pellets crashing to the ground beneath grey clouds that appeared out of nowhere to replace the blue sky.
Tourists gathered their belongings and ran from Levante beach in Benidorm when the storm hit.
Other British and Irish tourists were photographed dancing in the rain with pints in their hands as the strange weather surprised them on pub terraces.
