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THE island is sweltering in tropical temperatures, as the minimum in Palma soared to 24.4ºC in the early hours of yesterday morning.
This is considered two degrees higher than normal, and was described by the Met Office as “tropical.” But, a spokesman said, it is not enough to be considered a heat wave. A spokesman said yesterday, that a night is considered “tropical” if the minimum temperatures top 20ºC.
The average temperatures taken at the various met stations in the Balearics show that temperatures so far this June have been between 1.5 and 2ºC higher than previous averages. In Palma, the temperatures have been even higher. At Son Sant Joan airport it has been 2.6º higher than average so far this June, and at Porto Pi, 2.4º higher. The maximum temperature yesterday was 33ºC, recorded in Sa Pobla.
And more of the same can be expected tomorrow, the weatherman said.
He predicted minimum temperatures of more than 23ºC in coastal areas, and cloudy intervals.
It was the overcast sky yesterday which made the temperatures seem higher than they were.
The obvious place to seek relief from the heat was the beach -- if you could find room, as the beaches at Palmanova, port of Pollensa and Playa de Palma were packed over the weekend. And the power company GESA-Endesa was keeping its fingers crossed that there would be no power failures as air conditioners were switched on and kept on all night in an effort to combat the heat.