Costa 'Blanca'
Snow has fallen even at sea level leaves shots unseen on the Costa Blanca for decades
The Costa was really 'Blanca' on Wednesday as snow fell heavily in the Marina Alta and left some spectacular images such as this aerial view of Denia beach and the Montgó in the background.
CBN Newsdesk team THE COSTA Blanca truly lived up to its name on Wednesday and Thursday as snow fell throughout the coast and inland and even settled on beaches and other areas where it had not done so in over a century.
The first flakes fell on Monday afternoon, but plummeting temperatures and strong winds built up to blizzards on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Marina Baja
In the Marina Baja, snow fell in Benidorm, Altea, Alfaz and La Nucía. In Finestrat, and of course the Puig Campana peak, the snow settled, as it did on Sierra Bernia, Coll de Rates and Confrides.
Snow fell for a few hours on Wednesday morning in La Nucía - the first time since 1984.
White Wednesday shuts Marina Alta schools and blocks main roads
Although the northern Costa Blanca expected a dusting of snow on Wednesday, when over 10cm settled during the early hours of the morning, it brought chaos to the region as roads, businesses and schools closed for the day.
The AP-7 motorway toll at Benissa was closed off due to excess snow, an accident caused by a skidding car on an urbanisation in Orba blocked the entrance road, and a snow plough had to deal with snow drifts in Alcalalí.
All schools in the Jalón and Orba Valleys closed for the day, as did all restaurants on the Sierra Bernia, as the higher mountain roads became treacherous.
School was cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday in Dénia, Gata, Pego, El Verger, Orba, Els Poblets and Jávea due to snow.
It is almost certainly the first time in most pupils' lifetimes this has happened – snow is seen every few years in the Marina Alta, albeit for barely a day, but never enough to close schools in the last 34 years.
The Dénia-Calpe bus replacement service was cancelled until 10.45 and the Dénia-Jávea road over the Montgó, known as the Carretera de les Planes, was closed to traffic until nearly 13.00.
Driving conditions were reported as being 'troublesome' on the Jesús Pobre road.
Residents on Monte Pego and the neighbouring urbanisation in El Ràfol d'Almúnia opted to stay indoors as two inches of snow coated their roads, gardens, swimming pools and lemon trees – or to go outside and build snowmen.
In Els Poblets, the white stuff fell thick and fast at around 09.00, reports Heather Crowe, a prominent member of the PP in the town hall.
And in the south
While snow did not settle on the beaches from Benidorm to Santa Pola, it did in Orihuela Costa and snow fell along the coastline from Torrevieja to Pilar de la Horadada.
Murcia region, especially inland, suffered heavy snowfall too.
Helping the homeless
Thanks to the warning given by the weather office, several town halls were able to prepare portable beds in social centres and sports pavillions to shelter the homeless.
Calpe used the Pedro Pastor i Fluixà hall, Benidorm the Llorca Llinares social centre and Altea the Centro Cultural Juvenil.
The regional 112 emergency centre and the Red Cross deployed around 200 people to cater for possible accidents and those in need.
Electricity shock
The price of electricity reached a peak of €92 per megawatt/hour on Wednesday evening, a huge increase on the €60 it cost in the same week last year.