Why were there so many lightning strikes last night in the Balearic Islands?

The Balearic Islands were lit up last night by intense and constant lightning, amid a storm episode that affected different parts of the Islands and left over 100 incidents, according to data from the Emergency Coordination Center. The electrical activity left a spectacular sky full of lightning, as can be seen in the images recorded in Colonia de Sant Pere by geographer Miquel Salamanca. The phenomenon, however, is not exceptional at this time of year. According to him, it is a "very typical" pattern for the end of August in the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean.

The key is the combination of various atmospheric factors. "At the end of summer, we have all the ingredients for strong storms to form," points out Salamanca. On the one hand, there is a lot of accumulated energy on the surface and, especially, with the sea which is very warm this year. On the other hand, the first drops or intrusions of cold air arrive in the middle and upper layers of the atmosphere. This temperature difference favors the vertical development of clouds and allows very powerful stormy structures to form. "The combination makes very powerful clouds grow that we don't have at other times of the year," explains the geographer.

A line of storms from the Pitiusas to Mallorca and Menorca

Last night's episode was dominated by a line of storms formed by several nuclei. The system initially formed in the Pitiusas and subsequently moved towards Mallorca and Menorca.

Salamanca recalls that these storms are very localized phenomena. Therefore, the differences can be significant even between relatively close areas: while it may rain very intensely at the point where the most active nucleus passes, practically not a drop may fall a few kilometers away.

In addition to rain and lightning, these storms have been associated with strong gusts of wind. During this evening's episode, gusts of over 90 km/h were recorded in Ibiza and Mallorca, while at Menorca airport, 121 km/h was reached.

What are the downbursts that accompany storms?

These strong gusts of wind are the so-called downbursts, a phenomenon associated with thunderstorms that can cause damage.

According to Salamanca, they are produced by the descending cold air that accompanies precipitation. This air falls forcefully from the cloud towards the surface and, upon reaching the ground, can disperse in all directions and cause a sudden increase in wind speed.

Lawyer Joan Roig explained on X his experience on board the Valencia-Menorca flight, which departed about three hours late due to the storm and arrived on the island around 12 at night. Roig explains that, while the aircraft was on the ground, passengers had to go to the front of the plane to counterbalance the strong gusts of wind. According to his account, just after landing, passengers could not leave the plane due to the force of the wind. In his social media messages, Roig described the situation as "like a movie".

More than 40 incidents in Mallorca, 48 in Menorca, 15 in Ibiza

The Balearic Islands Emergency Coordination Center has managed a total of 109 incidents due to the rain and wind storm as of 10 a.m. this Friday.

According to the information provided by the area, 41 were in Mallorca, with 11 in Manacor, 10 in Felanitx, three in Calvià and three in Sant Llorenç; 48 in Menorca, the majority in Maó (24) and others in Alaior (11) and Sant Lluís (6); 15 in Eivissa distributed between 6 in Sant Josep and 4 in Santa Eulària, and 3 in Formentera.

The majority (49) were due to fallen trees, and there were also 9 interruptions of basic services and 14 detachments of urban elements.

Obstacles or liquids on the road (9), risks of landslides (6), adrift boats (6), floods in buildings or establishments (2) and other cases such as floods on public roads, traffic accidents, people in danger at sea and various fires of different types were also attended to.

Bombers de Mallorca, for their part, have removed fallen trees in Son Ferrer (Calvià), Manacor, Felanitx, l'Illot, Cala Pi (Llucmajor) and on the road to Can Patró (Manacor).