There are a few days of astronomical summer to go, but the met agency is already saying that this summer in Mallorca and the Balearics has been warmer and rainier than usual.
Autumn arrives on September 22. The Aemet delegate in the Balearics, MarÃa José Guerrero, said on Wednesday that autumn temperatures will “most likely” be higher than normal, while rainfall will be normal; the average rainfall is 220 litres per square metre.
As for the summer, rainfall has been above normal, mainly due to the storms in mid-August. For the Balearics as a whole, the average has been 81 litres per square metre, whereas the normal is 40 litres. In Mallorca specifically, the average has also been 81, compared with a normal average of 43. Banyalbufar with 80.4 litres has recorded the highest rainfall in Mallorca. In Menorca, Es Mercadal registered 204.4 litres in mid-August.
There have been three heat waves in Mallorca – July 18 to 20; July 28 to August 1; and August 7 to 12. The second heat wave produced the highest temperature – 42 degrees in Montuiri on August 1. Montuiri holds the record for the all-time high, 44.5C in August 2022.
In general, the average temperature in the Balearics has been 24.9C, an anomaly of +0.7 degrees compared to normal values. In August the average temperature was 26.4C, an anomaly of plus one degree.
Aemet hasn’t as yet given comparisons with recent summers, but it would be surprising if 2024 turns out to have been warmer than 2022 or 2023.
