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THE strong winds which have been battering the Balearics, up to 120 kilometres per hour on the mountains and up to 80 kph everywhere else, have caused chaos to marine timetables.

The Port of Ibiza had to be closed to traffic at 1.35pm, but was reopened again two hours later, according to Port Authority sources.
All the other ports which they manage remained open, although a spokesman said the weather situation had caused delays and cancellations in shipping.
Various trees were also blown down in various parts of the island.
In the Port of Palma the ferry Millenium I, owned by Acciona-Trasmediterranea, which covers the Ibiza-Palma-Barcelona route, was delayed. In addition to this, also in Palma, the Mercedes del Mar, owned by Iscomar, en route from Valencia and due to dock at 7am, had to postpone her arrival.

At the same time, a passenger ship was anchored in the Bay of Palma awaiting an improvement in the weather. The ship was on her way to Marseilles in France from a port in Algeria, but had to stop for shelter due to the bad weather and sea conditions.

With regard to Ibiza, the ships Ramon Llull, owned by Balearia, which covers the route from Denia to Ibiza to Palma, and the Millenium,”, owned by Acciona-Trasmediterranea, which covers the Valencia to Ibiza to Palma route, were forced to cancel their sailings to Palma.

The sea routes between Ibiza and Formentera also remained closed, but the ship Formentera Jet was able to make its scheduled 9.30am journey from the port of La Savina to Ibiza.

The port of Ciudadela in Minorca, managed by the Balearic Government, also remained open.
The fire brigade was called out twice during Monday night, to remove trees which had been blown down in Calvia and Playa de Muro.
In Palma, where winds reached speeds of up to 84kph, the fire brigade had to remove bricks which fell from buildings in Calle Pere Alcantara Peña and Jaime III, and remove trees.

In the rest of the island, wind speeds ranged from 60 to 120kph in the Alfabia mountains.
The prediction for tomorrow is cloudy intervals with rainfall, occasionally moderate, with the risk of storm and hailstones.
Snow can be expected above 700 metres, and temperatures will be similar to today.
Winds will be moderate to strong, with gusts up to 80kph in Minorca and the north east of Majorca.