MAJORCA has been battered by a hailstorm, turning its normally sun-soaked streets into a wintery scene.
The freak storm dumped thick ice on the Spanish island, leading to road closures and ongoing yellow alerts for heavy rain and storms across the Balearics and eastern coastal areas.
The idyllic Majorcan village of Puigpunyent in Spain was hit by a surprise hailstorm in the early hours of the morning.
The shocking video shows the thick blanket of ice left behind – as much as two inches, according to the Meteo de les Illes meteorological office.
Emergency services can be seen on a snow plough working to clear the roads, which were closed for safety.
The Serra de Tramuntana region, running along Majorca’s northwest, has been particularly affected by unstable weather in the run-up to Easter.
Heavy rain also fell across other parts of the island, breaking records in the Alfabia-Bunyola area and the coastal port of Puerto Sóller.
Yellow alerts are currently in force for the Balearic Islands, including Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca, according to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
Holidaymakers have been warned of “heavy rainfall and thunderstorms” in the Balearic Islands today.
AEMET said the popular islands could see up to 20mm of rainfall in one hour, with storms “accompanied by hail”.
Yellow wind alerts have also been issued along parts of Spain’s east coast, including Alicante, Benidorm, Almeria and Castellon, with winds of up to 43mph predicted.
A brief improvement in the weather is expected tomorrow, with meteorologists describing Holy Thursday as the most stable day of Spain’s Easter week.
However, a fresh storm is expected to arrive on Good Friday, bringing rain across the northwest and spreading across most of the country by Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Canary Islands on the southern coast of Spain have also recently been battered by rain and thunderstorms.
A two-hour torrent dumped more than 100 litres of rain per square metre in parts of Lanzarote’s Costa Teguise – more than a year’s worth of rain.
The storm triggered a widespread panic with hundreds of homes flooded, hotels without power, cars swept away and a state of emergency imposed.
Locals said they “haven’t seen anything like it before”, after the floodwater caused widespread damage.
Staggering footage showed homes and businesses left ruined and roads turned into rivers in Arrecife, San Bartolomé and other towns.
According to myflyright, while no flights to Lanzarote were cancelled on Monday, 21 flights were delayed by three hours or more.
Hotels and resorts in Costa Teguise have been forced to temporarily close ahead of Easter holiday due to damage from the floods, it was revealed today.
Tui and Jet2holidays have issued statements about a “small number” of cancelled holidays to the Spanish destination.
Holidaymakers have an option to re-book their vacation or cancel completely.
If cancelled, TUI promised to issue a full refund to customers.
“While the situation is beyond our control, we appreciate how disappointing this news will be.”
The weekend of weather chaos caused the UK government to issue a travel warning as the storm – named Olivier – moved east.
This comes as the Spanish city of Valencia was transformed into an apocalyptic wasteland following Spain’s deadly floods several months ago.
Authorities recovered the bodies of 219 people.
A video showed the tragic moment an entire bridge in Paiporta, Valencia, where at least 40 people died, was wiped out in seconds.
Tourists were left shielding from the rain in the Canary Islands on the weekend[/caption]
Workers cleared a street of flooded mud in Costa Teguise, Lanzarote[/caption]