Emergency services have issued a yellow alert for rain in the Balearic Islands and an orange alert in the Serra and northern parts of Mallorca for Saturday.

PalmEmergency services (112) have activated a yellow alert in the Balearic Islands and an orange alert in the Tramuntana mountain range and northern Mallorca due to rain and storms this Saturday. This was announced by the head of the Emergency Department, Aurelio Soto, in statements to the media following the meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Balearic Islands Meteorological Plan (Plan Meteobal) regarding the activation of the adverse weather alerts.

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has activated the yellow and orange warnings for rain and storms from midnight until 11:59 p.m. this Saturday. Soto explained that a cold front is expected to arrive, bringing precipitation, particularly intense during the middle of the day and in the Tramuntana mountain range and northern Mallorca, where accumulations of up to 150 liters per square meter could occur in 12 hours. Given this forecast, the Directorate General of Emergencies and Interior will declare a yellow alert level across all the islands, except for the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and northern Mallorca, where an orange alert level will be in effect. Therefore, the head of the department has asked citizens to take extreme precautions and limit outdoor movements and activities, especially in the orange-level areas. "Saturday is a good day to stay home," he said, explaining that heavy rain is expected in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, but could spread to other areas.

Similarly, the Emergency Services recommended that municipalities activate their municipal plans and, regarding planned outdoor activities, advised restricting them, especially in areas under orange alert. The cold front is expected to pass by Sunday, bringing back stable weather. The Directorate General of Emergencies will convene the Meteobal Plan's Technical Advisory Committee this Friday to analyze the forecasts indicating the arrival of a new storm on Saturday that could bring widespread rain, and they have already urged restrictions on outdoor activities.

This was explained on Thursday in statements to the media by the head of the Emergency Services department, Aurelio Soto, who analyzed the passage of the storm line that has been moving across the archipelago since early Thursday morning. Soto reiterated that the forecasts point to the possibility of repeated episodes of intense and concentrated rainfall in the Balearic Islands on Saturday.

For its part, Palma City Council has announced that, starting at midnight this Saturday, it will close the Ribera (Playa de Palma) and Can Terrers parks. The measures will remain in place while the weather alert is in effect, the City Council specified. Furthermore, the City Council has announced the postponement of the Night of the Souls celebration, as well as the planned training session in Son Reus and the guided night tour of Palma Cemetery.

In this regard, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has warned of the arrival of a new intense and persistent front of rain, accompanied by wind and coastal phenomena. For this reason, AEMET has already activated an orange alert for rain and wind in the Tramuntana mountain range area of Mallorca for that day. A yellow alert is also in effect for the rest of the island for the same phenomena and also for coastal phenomena.

In Menorca, there is a yellow alert for rain, wind, and coastal phenomena for Saturday, while in Ibiza, the AEMET (Spanish State Meteorological Agency) yellow alert is only in effect for rain. The situation will be adjusted as the day approaches; therefore, Emergency Services are constantly monitoring the situation. A new meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled for Friday morning to reassess the situation and adopt the corresponding measures.

The committee will analyze the forecasts on Friday to plan the strategy for addressing the event and set the alert levels. "We want to share this information with the public now, given that the forecast predicts a large amount of rain over a prolonged period, specifically on a Saturday, so that they may consider whether it is prudent to cancel or restrict outdoor activities," they stated.

Thursday's storm

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) activated an orange alert for showers and wind in Mallorca on Thursday morning. Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera were under a yellow alert. The rain began to fall at 8:00 AM in the Mallorca Channel and made landfall early in the morning. The sky darkened as if it were pitch black, and all of Palma was shrouded in rain and darkness. This cold front, which triggered the maximum alert in southern Mallorca and the Tramuntana mountain range, brought accumulated rainfall of 30 mm in one hour and wind gusts of around 90 km/h. Geographer Miquel Salamanca explained that the storm had remarkable electrical activity, more typical of September than November. It arrived from the west, first in the Pitiusas Islands and then in Mallorca and Menorca.

The electrical storm that struck Palma on Saturday morning caused several incidents, including power outages in some buildings. The Emergency Services recorded a total of 30 incidents related to the rain and storms up to 9:30 a.m.: 29 incidents in Mallorca and one in Formentera. The most affected municipalities were Palma (16), Calvià (12), Formentera (1), and Llucmajor (1). Most of the calls were related to fallen trees (16), dislodged urban elements (3), water accumulation on roads (3), and flooding of public streets (2).

However, they are urging residents of the Balearic Islands to remain cautious this weekend, avoid unnecessary travel, and limit outdoor activities. They also stressed the importance of checking weather alerts to learn about the most dangerous areas. "Follow our recommendations and call 112 in case of emergency," they concluded.