09/01/2003 00:00
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The cold front which yesterday reduced temperatures to record levels in Russia and transformed London into a winter wonderland is forecast to sweep south to the Balearics. Temperatures will drop sharply and snow is forecast at 300 metres and may even fall on the beaches in the Balearics and northern Spain according to the met. office. The met. office's Angel Rivera said yesterday that the polar front sweeping across Europe will bring heavy snow falls to most parts of Spain and icy winds. The cold front will cross the country from north to south and will affect the country today and tomorrow before moving on to North Africa. Today it is going to rain across Spain in general, but snow is forecast as low as 300 metres or even sea level in the northern half of the country and the Balearics, 600 metres in the south. The Balearics can also expect moderate to heavy rain and hail showers. Winds in the Balearics will be moderate to strong with all the emergency services on full alert for the next 48 hours. Rivera said yesterday that the low temperatures, which in most areas will spend the day bobbing around zero and perhaps struggling to reach a maximum of 6ºC in the south of the country, and the strong winds will create a severe wind chill factor, making conditions feel even colder, although tonight and tomorrow night, temperatures will drop well below freezing. By the weekend however, the rain and snow will recede to just northern Spain although the strong winds will continue to buffet the Balearics. By Monday, the weather should have settled and returned to “normal” for this time of year although over night temperatures will remain low. Last year was the third wettest in the past 100 years in the Balearics. The met office said yesterday that only in 1915 an 1962 did more rain fall in the region. Met office bosses also said that the climate over the past ten years has shown severe extremes, years of harsh drought and years of heavy rainfall, clear indications that the climate is changing. However, while last year was a record wet one, the temperature of the ground in the Balearics rose by one degree in comparison to previous years. The weather in the Balearics over the past two years has been extreme with hurricane winds, drought, record rain fall and a relatively short and a sporadic summer last year. The changing weather has also altered the environment, especially the beaches, many of which in the north of Majorca have been severely damaged, some washed away, by the gale force winds.