Severe storms are causing chaos across the Mediterranean. In Mallorca in particular, some areas have seen enormous amounts of rain.

A woman lost her life whilst attempting to cross a flooded road. In Escorca, on the island’s north-west coast, 89 mm of rain fell in a short space of time. This was accompanied by gale-force gusts.

Emergency services were called out more than 130 times in Mallorca, and over 40 flights had to be cancelled at Palma Airport. On the Spanish mainland, heavy thunderstorms brought torrential rain and gale-force winds to the areas around Barcelona and Valencia.

Heavy rain, hail, and gusts of wind have also caused damage in northern Italy. In Milan, parks remained closed as a precaution because of the risk of branches and trees falling.

In addition, there were train cancellations on several railway lines in Lombardy due to fallen branches on the tracks.

One reason for the storms is the unusually warm Mediterranean. Following the extremely hot summer, water temperatures around Italy and south of France are still 4 to 6 degrees above the long-term average.

Off the Balearic Islands, too, the sea is unusually warm at just under 30°C, providing plenty of energy for the thunderstorms.

The severe weather conditions are continuing today. However, the focus of the storm is shifting from Italy across the Adriatic towards the Balkans.