16/07/2013 00:00
TW
0

DEMAND for electricity in the Balearics reached new record levels over the weekend as temperatures soared to new highs.
But, the good news is that today, temperatures will fall as a cold front starts to sweep across the north of Spain bringing strong winds and storms to some parts. The north of the Balearics will escape the storms with some torrential showers, as temperatures drop across the islands.
Demand for power, according to electricity company GESA, is reaching new highs this month which is proving to be as unusually hot as June.
While maximum temperatures over the weekend reached 38ºC, the minimum was 24.5ºC with Saturday night proving the hottest night of the year to date. Humidity was also very high, only serving to make conditions even more uncomfortable. While on Sunday, humidity was 40 to 50 percent, yesterday, it was as high as 70 to 80 percent and all we can hope is that the cold front coming our way serves to clear the skies and wash away the humidity. In some parts today, torrential rain is forecast and emergency services are ready for localised flooding.
In some parts, rainfall will be as heavy as 60 litres per square metre in 12 hours or even 100 litres in some isolated incidents, according to the Met. office. The rain will not be as heavy here, but anyone travelling to the mainland should beware.
The “cool” snap will not last for long however, conditions will return to normal as the week develops with clear skies and high temperatures, although the Met. office doubts that temperatures will be as high as over the weekend. In fact, looking at the rest of the month, temperatures are expected to settle down at more “traditional” July levels.
The heat wave has also led to a rise in water consumption, with the two main reservoirs, Gorg Blau and Cuber, holding slightly less water than in July last year with some 25'000 cubic hectares of water being used from the dams each day. However, the two reservoirs are 75 percent full, in much better condition than in previous years.
From the Font de la Vila well, the level of consumption this month is currently three times the level in July last year.