TEMPERATURE PLUMMETS TO 6ºC BELOW THE NORM

As 100 kilometres per hour winds battered the islands, causing a second day of problems for shipping with a number of ferry crossings suspended or cancelled, the Balearic met office in Palma reported that gale force six winds hit the north and north east of Majorca yesterday morning.

It was another wet start to the day. During the 24 hours ending at mid-day yesterday, 81 litres of rain had fallen per square metre in Ibiza, 74 litres in Sant Llorenc and 67 litres in San Vicente.

In Majorca, Galilea was the wettest, 30.5 litres of rain per square metre were recorded while Porto Pi was one of the worst hit for the second consecutive day.

However, it was the temperature which changed most yesterday.
Overnight temperatures stayed the same, thanks to the heavy cloud cover, but day time temperatures dropped yesterday to well below the norm.
Met office sources said that the seasonal fall in temperature was between 2ºC and 6ºC, depending on the area, in comparison to the last few days of April.

However, the Civil protection department lifted the storm warning in the Balearics yesterday lunch time.
Conditions are forecast to improve slightly over the next few days.
Nevertheless, for the crew of the Dutch yacht Blue Peter the improvement in the weather could have come a little sooner.
The four Spanish crew members were yesterday back on dry land in Minorca after being rescued on Monday afternoon some 90 miles off the north east coast of the island.

None of the four men were injured, but Balearic, French and Italian coast guard services were involved in the air sea rescue operation after a may-day call was put out earlier in the afternoon calling for help. The Blue Peter had suffered mechanical problems and was adrift in high seas.

The four crewmen were eventually plucked to safety by a Spanish airforce rescue helicopter and flown to the Montetoro medical centre in Minorca suffering from hypothermia. Fresh attempts were being made yesterday to salvage the yacht.