Walter Finch
HOLIDAY chaos looms for some of Spain’s favourite tourist hotspots as severe thunderstorms threaten to unleash giant hailstones and dangerous winds by the weekend.
A dangerous weather system known as DANA is barrelling towards the eastern Mediterranean coast, with the Costa Blanca, Valencia region and Balearic Islands in the firing line.
Forecasters have pinpointed this coming Saturday as a day to stay indoors and avoid some of the most severe conditions to hit these holiday resorts in months.
The Valencia region, encompassing the Costa Blanca’s packed resorts from Benidorm to Torrevieja, faces a direct hit from storms packing torrential rain, large hail and gale-force winds.
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The Balearic Islands, including Mallorca and Ibiza, are also squarely in the storm’s path.
Weather experts at Meteored are sounding the alarm over what they describe as potentially ‘highly organised’ storms that could bring very heavy rain, local flooding, giant hailstones and extremely strong winds. They haven’t even ruled out tornado formation.
“Saturday is expected to be the most complicated day of the week,” forecasters warned, with the eastern half of Spain – hosting millions of peak-summer holidaymakers – facing the greatest risk.
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The weather drama begins building on Friday when thunderstorms will intensify across Catalonia and the Valencian Community.
However, it’s Saturday when the full fury of the DANA system will be unleashed, with early storm development expected across large areas of the eastern coast.
DANA systems, also known as cold drops, occur when cold air becomes cut off from normal weather patterns in the upper atmosphere.
While the term doesn’t automatically spell disaster, these systems can produce extremely dangerous conditions with little warning.
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The forecast shows the Balearic Islands could face scattered but intense showers, whilst the Valencia region and Costa Blanca brace for the main assault. Catalonia, Aragon and parts of Castile-La Mancha are also expected to experience severe weather.
Beyond the immediate coastal threat, the system will also pummel inland areas including the Cantabrian Mountains, eastern Castile and León, Navarre and La Rioja with intense storms and heavy rainfall.
By Sunday, the weather system should begin retreating as it becomes absorbed back into normal circulation patterns.
However, thundery showers may linger in the Pyrenees, while temperatures will drop noticeably across northern Spain.
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