Scarcely believable footage showed how vehicles sustained damage from the hail as others became stuck amid ice floes several inches thick in Villar del Arzobispo, with residents powerless to free them
Scarcely believable footage showed how vehicles sustained damage from the hail as others became stuck amid ice floes several inches thick in Villar del Arzobispo, with residents powerless to free them
Majorca was battered by freakish hailstorms yesterday that left renowned tourist hotspots on the Spanish island covered in ice and overrun with flood waters.

Tourists and locals alike were sent running for cover as huge hailstones pelted the resort of Porto Cristo, where idyllic beaches turned from golden to white in a matter of minutes as chunks of ice blanketed the sand.

Municipalities such as Manacor, Sant Llorenç and Sa Pobla were the worst affected, but large swathes of the islands were engulfed in the deluge.

Shocking video footage circulating on social media showed how furniture and tiles on typically sun-soaked decking outside hotels and private flats were smashed by the hailstorms as holidaymakers cowered inside.



Spain's state weather service AEMET issued yellow weather warnings for Majorca and Menorca, warning that up to 50 litres of rainfall per square metre drenched Manacor in just half an hour, triggering flash floods.

The warnings are in place until this evening with parts of the island now facing between 60 and 70 litres of rainfall per square metre in two or three hours.

The culprit behind the rare and destructive weather pattern was put down to what is known in Spain as 'DANA' - short for 'Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos' or 'Isolated Depression at High Levels'.

These phenomena form when a pocket of cold air detaches from the jet stream over the Atlantic and settles over warmer Mediterranean air.

The resulting clash in temperatures and pressures creates intense instability, often unleashing torrential rain, violent hailstorms, and flash floods over short periods.

DANAs produce erratic and slow-moving storms which can dump enormous volumes of water and hail over the same region in hours.

In Spain, where the ground is often dry and the infrastructure ill-prepared for flooding, these deluges can create havoc.

The storm engulfing Majorca comes days after similar downpours punished towns in Valencia less than six months on from catastrophic flooding in the region which left more than 230 people dead.

British holidaymakers were warned against travelling after first-sized hail hammered the popular region in eastern Spain on Thursday amid orange weather warnings by AEMET denoting 'significant danger'.

The hailstorm and resulting floods gave way to chaotic scenes as Valencians rushed for cover in a month where daytime temperatures typically hover around 20 degrees Celsius.

Scarcely believable footage showed how vehicles sustained damage from the hail as others became stuck amid ice floes several inches thick in Villar del Arzobispo, with residents powerless to free them.

Other shocking clips circulating on social media showed the deluge gushing through the typically sun-kissed streets of Guadassequies and l'Olleria.