Heavy rain in Mallorca leaves one dead and 149 incidents

The heavy rain and thunderstorms that hit Mallorca on Wednesday, 9 September left one woman dead in Felanitx and 149 incidents handled by the emergency services. Fallen trees, flooding, power cuts and obstacles on roads accounted for many of the incidents during a weather episode that also brought wind gusts of up to 100 km/h.

The incidents caused by the rain in Mallorca accounted for the vast majority of the 173 recorded across the Balearic Islands by 20:00. Menorca recorded seven and Eivissa two, while another 15 reports had no defined location. At the time of the latest figures provided by the emergency services, 77 incidents remained open.

The most serious incident was the death of a woman in Felanitx. She died in a public street during a period of heavy rain when water was flowing along the road. The exact circumstances are under investigation by the judicial authorities.

149 incidents caused by heavy rain in Mallorca

Between 10:00 and 20:00, the 112 Emergency Coordination Centre recorded 149 incidents related to the severe weather in Mallorca.

Palma accounted for 59 reports, followed by Esporles with 16; Manacor with 12; Calvià with seven; Felanitx with six; Llucmajor and Banyalbufar with five each; and Marratxí and Valldemossa with four each.

Across the Balearic Islands, the figures were as follows:

Mallorca: 149 incidents.
Menorca: 7.
Eivissa: 2.
No defined location: 15.
Total: 173 incidents.

Fallen trees, flooding and power cuts

Fallen trees were among the most common problems during the storms. Port des Canonge, in Banyalbufar, was particularly badly affected, with teams from the Institut Balear de la Natura (IBANAT) and Bombers de Mallorca working to remove fallen trees.

Figures from the emergency services show the extent of the damage caused by the rain and wind:

48 incidents involving fallen trees on roads.
29 cases of flooding in buildings or business premises.
16 other incidents involving fallen trees.
14 incidents involving fallen urban structures or objects.
12 disruptions to essential services.
11 incidents involving obstacles or liquids on roads.
10 cases of flooding on public roads.
7 risks of falling objects or structures.
3 faulty traffic lights.
2 risks of buildings being flooded.
2 rockfalls.

Power cuts also affected thousands of people. At 18:00, Endesa reported 5,000 customers without electricity, after the figure had reached 17,000 earlier in the afternoon due to downed medium-voltage power lines.

Most of those affected were in Mallorca, while fewer than 200 were in Menorca. At 20:00, 14 lines were still affected. The most significant was the Palmanyola line, which supplies electricity to Esporles and Banyalbufar.

Overflowing torrent and road closure

Among the incidents caused by the heavy rain in Mallorca was the overflowing of the torrent de sa Cabana, which forced the closure of a section of the Ma-4015, the road connecting the Manacor area with Cales de Mallorca.

The intensity of the rainfall resulted in significant accumulations in different parts of the island. According to the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), 69 litres per square metre were recorded in Manacor and 66 in Llucmajor.

Son Servera recorded 48 litres per square metre, while rainfall totals in Palma, Calvià and the Serra de Tramuntana ranged from 20 to 30 litres.

The wind was also particularly strong. Weather stations at the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) and in Capdepera recorded gusts of between 90 and 100 km/h.

What weather is expected in Mallorca after the storms?

The worst of the heavy rain and thunderstorms had passed by Wednesday night, according to AEMET. Some lighter rain or thunderstorms could still occur in Eivissa and Formentera during the early hours of the morning.

For Thursday, 10 September, the forecast mainly includes residual winds and rough coastal conditions following Wednesday’s severe weather.