01/05/2007 00:00
TW
0

THE month of April has been characterised by the amount of rain which has fallen, this being double the average amount recorded over the last 30 years.

In fact, in Lluc it rained three times as much as normal, registering a total of 303 litres per square metre, 201 litres more than is considered normal for this time of year.

The spokesperson for the Balearic Meteorological Centre, Jose Antonio Guijarro, highlighted that the “abundant” rain in April had aleviated the drought which the islands had been suffering during the last few months, allowing the recovery of the water reserves.

With regard to the water reservs Guijarro said that the situation is “stable” with an interannual (April to April) deficit of zero percent on Majorca. On Ibiza there is an interannual deficit of one percent, while on Minorca it is 11 percent.

These figures contrast sharply with those for February, when Minorca's interannual reserve deficit was 42 percent. On Majorca it was 18 percent and 16 percent on Ibiza.

At Palma airport 124 litres per square metre was recorded (77 more than is normal for this time of year); on Ibiza at total of 48 litres per square metre was collected (16 litres more); while in Porto Pi in Palma 108 litres per square metre fell (67 litres per square metre more).

The most rain fell between April 13 and 14, when in just 24 hours 156 litres per square metre fell on Lluc.
With regard to the temperatures, according to Guijarro this April was slightly warmer than normal, with maximum temperatures one and a half degrees above the average recorded during the last 30 years.

In fact, the Observatory in Minorca airport recorded an average temperature of 19 degrees; in the Port of Pollensa the maximum was 19.3 degrees; in Lluc it was 16.5 degrees; in Porreres it was 20.2 degrees; in Porto Pi (Palma) it was 20.3 degrees; and finally Ibiza had a maximum of 19.4 degrees. Today, May Day, is going to be wet across the Balearics and the northern half of Spain with torrential rain, storms and the return of snow forecast over the next few days. The Balearics will escape the worst of the weather, but conditions will not be a warm and sunny as in Britain which has enjoyed a glorious Bank Holiday weekend.