Snowball fight... in Majorca! Blizzard hits sunshine isle
MAJORCA has long been a favourite of holidaymakers, famed for its sun, sea and now – albeit briefly – snow.
The usually warm Balearic island has been hit by storms, leading officials to issue a rare red alert for 16 inches of snow set to fall last night and into today in the northern Serra de Tramuntana mountains.
The conditions have led to
‘Leaden skies, wintry showers’
road closures, while many residents have huddled from the cold snap indoors.
Those who ventured out wore thick coats – and some even seized the rare chance for a snowball fight.
At this time of year, parks and gardens are normally filled with almond blossom – but towns across Majorca, including Valldemossa and Lluc, are blanketed in snow and temperatures have plummeted to -2C (28F). The island normally enjoys average daytime highs of 15C (59F) this time of year.
The storms have also brought 50mph winds and huge waves. Snow has fallen in mainland Spain, too, where temperatures dipped as low as -18.6C (-1.48F) in Lleida, Catalonia yesterday.
Meanwhile, Britain remains in the grip of a cold snap, with the wind chill from north- easterly breezes making daytime temperatures of 5-9C (41-48F) feel close to freezing.
Under leaden skies, there have been some wintry showers over high ground in the Pennines and northeast England.
The Met Office says frost could occur overnight throughout this week, sending temperatures in parts of England and Wales plummeting as low as -3C (27F) or -4C (25F).