08/02/2013 00:00
TW
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Palma.—The coldest weather front for the past seven years yesterday morning began gripping parts of the mainland and will have moved into the Balearics over night, pushing maximum temperatures down to around 10ºc today and 3ºc tonight. Although, the Balearic met. office has warned that at 1'500 metres, temperatures could fall as low as -12ºC.

As today progresses, the snow line will fall from 600 metres to 400 with an 80 percent probability of snow later.
But, the worst of the front will grip the island tomorrow with temperatures struggling to make it into double figures and above freezing in the mountains with the snow forecast to begin falling at sea level this afternoon.

And, there will be no real respite until Tuesday with snow expected at sea level for the next six days.
Not until Tuesday will maximum temperatures crawl back into double figures, but only just, and they will continue to remain freezing cold over night with northerly winds peaking at 90 kilometres per hour, therefore the wind chill factor will make conditions feel much colder - especially at altitude. Met. office spokesperson, Angel Rivera, explained yesterday that this will be only the third polar front of this kind to have hit Spain and the Balearics since 2000 and will be one of the most severe in some parts of the country.

Here, the Director General for the Interior and Emergencies, placed the Balearics on severe weather alert.
Apart from the snow and freezing temperatures, gale force winds and heavy seas are expected and the general public is being advised to keep a close eye on the weather forecast, which, due to the characteristics of the polar front, could sharply change in a very short period of time.

Yesterday afternoon, the Director General for the Interior, called together representatives from all the emergency, security, social and medical services to put them in the picture and make sure all the relevant departments know what action to take in the worst case scenario.

Gritters and snowploughs are on stand by in the Tramuntana mountains and drivers are urged to be extremely careful in the morning because of the threat of black ice.

In general, the public is advised to be sensible when using gas-fired heaters and all hikers are advised to stay away from the hills until after the weekend and the weather alert is downgraded. Drivers need to proceed with caution and make sure they have plenty of petrol, warm clothes and their mobiles charged and on board with them.