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AFTER several days of intense cold, which brought snow, hailstones and wind, the Met Office forecasts that the temperatures will start to go up from today, and the scattered downpours will disappear. Up to mid-day yesterday, the minimum temperatures recorded in Majorca were 0.5º C at Palma airport, minus 2.5º at Alfabia, 4.5º in Palma-Portopi, 1.5º in Porreres, 2.5º in Lluc, 4º in Portocolom and 5.5º in Port of Pollensa. The maximum temperatures barely reached 10º C.
Some snow fell at 300 metres, and even lower, but it was isolated. The exception was Ibiza where it snowed heavily in the centre.
The weatherman said that the mass of cold air has now started to move away from the Balearics.
However, the weather continued to interfere with local shipping.
A Trasmediterránea ferry with 220 passengers on board was stuck in the mouth of Mahon port yesterday afternoon, waiting for the strong winds which had forced the port to be closed to die down. The ferry, the Fortuny, reached Minorca from Barcelona at 6.45am, just 20 minutes after the port had been closed because of winds which reached speeds of 75-80kph. The ferry Ramon Llull, of the Balearia company, was unable to leave for Ciutadela (Minorca) at 8am as scheduled.
The Nura Nova ferry of Iscomar, which left from Alcudia for Ciudadela with 105 passengers on board at 7am was unable to enter the port because of the wind, and was forced to shelter off the Binibeca beach. Two cargo ships were also unable to enter port in Minorca.
Local farmers escaped lightly from the effects of the cold, which has caused extensive damage to the almond crops in Catalonia (more than 80 percent of the crop in Lerida and 50 percent in Tarragona), Aragon, Valencia and Castellon. Only isolated cases of damage have been reported in the Balearics.