British tourists in Majorca have been issued a stark warning this weekend. Holidaymakers and locals alike are being urged not to go outside by authorities with a number of alerts in place across the Balearic Islands.
It comes as Storm Alice continues to sweep across the region, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. Spanish weather agency AEMET activated an orange alert in Majorca on Saturday (October 11) as the turbulent weather hit the area during the early hours of the morning. The alert is in place across the east, northeast and north of the island until 8pm with the emergency services urging against unnecessary travel. Forecasters are predicting the heaviest downpours to hit tourist hotspots such as Alcudia, Arta and Pollensa.
As reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin, people on the island are also urged against outdoor activities. The Santa Eulària Town Council suspended all sports and cultural activities due to the bad weather.
An alert is also in place in Ibiza and Formentera. Torrential downpours have wreaked havoc across the region with flash floods reported in a number of places.
Forecasters expect up to 250mm of rain to fall across the islands by Sunday. Some tourists have been left stranded in Costa Blanca as the storm has diverted and cancelled flights.
It comes after a tornado ripped through Cartagena, Murcia, on Friday (October 10) with 67 people forced to evacuate the area. Authorities issued a red alert in the area due to the storm, warning of “extraordinary danger”.
Meanwhile, schools were forced to suspend classes in the Levante region. Around 10 inches of rain also hit Alicante on Thursday as the storm arrived.
The local Alicante fire service was called to 31 emergency operations, including pulling debris from flooded roads. In Murcia, a total of 142 incidents were recorded.
Video footage showed heavily flooded roads and swamped campsites across the region. Tourists are being urged to remain vigilant as the storm continues to batter the area.
Director General of Emergencies and the Interior, Pablo Gárriz, said: “The situation that concerns us most right now is in those municipalities where we have identified the possibility of heavy rain, hence the orange alert.”
