A sea tornado formed off the coast of a popular tourist hotspot as temperatures plummeted and hail hammered the island. Just off the shore between Soller and Deya, two towns that are incredibly popular with tourists on the west coast of Majorca, onlookers captured footage of the waterspout, or sea tornado, forming this morning.
The swirling column of air and water was visible from several points across the Serra de Tramuntana, and dramatic footage shared on the Majorca Daily Bulletin shows the waterspout churning off the coast and soaring high into the sky in close proximity to the shoreline, under a grey and stormy sky.
Waterspouts can develop when the sea is unsettled and the atmosphere is highly unstable, which has been the case on the island this week.
Hail fell over parts of Majorca, while maximum temperatures struggled to reach 10C, which is low for this time of year, reports the local news outlet.
Strong gusts of north and north-westerly winds reached 70km/h, and Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, has kept weather warnings in place until Saturday for winds of up to 60km/h.
The meteorological service also warned of the possibility of substantial waves, with swells up to four metres in parts of Majorca, such as Sierra Tramontana.
From Sunday, the weather is expected to improve across Mallorca as the weather warnings are lifted. Daytime temperatures could potentially reach a maximum of 18C in Palma and 20C on Monday, according to predictions by AEMET. Despite the warmer peak, Palma could plummet to a minimum of 2C.
Wind speeds in Soller on the west coast, where the tornado was spotted, are expected to drop significantly by Sunday, with the weather agency predicting gusts of 15km/h.
