Yellow Alert on Saturday: Calm Before the (Possible) Storm — What Needs to Be Done Now

Yellow Alert on Saturday: Calm Before the (Possible) Storm — What Needs to Be Done Now

The air smells of summer rain: wet asphalt and the salty flutter of seagulls in the harbour. On the Paseo Marítimo shutters rattle, and in Santa Catalina awnings are being quickly tied down. Yellow Alert on Aemet's warnings page has been issued for Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00. That sounds harmless — and that is exactly the danger. Yellow means: locally it can become serious very quickly.

Key question: Are we prepared — and where are the weak spots?

A coloured warning does not tell us how strongly individual parts of Mallorca will be affected. The really important question is: have we taken precautions locally that cushion short-term flooding and traffic chaos? On this island it is often not the clouds that cause problems, but the places where water cannot drain away: rambla beds, narrow old town alleys, mountainous access roads. Local reporting discusses this uncertainty in more detail: Alerta amarilla en Mallorca: ¿Qué tan preparada está la isla ante las lluvias intensas?.

The situation: What to expect

Forecast: changeable, with showers and isolated thunderstorms. Friday will still bring sunshine and around 26 °C, on Saturday the thermometer will drop to about 22–24 °C. The unstable weather pattern is expected to persist until mid next week — sun, then showers, then sun again. In short: not a continuous storm, but short, intense episodes.

Where the real risks lie — local details

Sometimes everything happens within fifteen minutes: one square stays dry, ten minutes later it is a small lake. Particularly at risk are:

Rambla and stream beds: vehicles parked there are quickly in danger. The Aviso de nivel amarillo el sábado: lo que los vecinos de Mallorca deben saber y hacer ahora highlights the Rambla de Palma and some of the smaller inflows in the north as deserving special attention.

Mountain roads and bottlenecks: on the MA-1 towards Andratx or in the switchbacks at Deià, mudslides can suddenly occur — leaving little room to manoeuvre.

Old town alleys and sewers: Palma's lanes are charming, but often poorly drained. Clogged drains can turn cobblestones into little rivers.

What is often missing from the public debate

We talk a lot about warning colours and temperature values. Too rarely, however, about concrete infrastructure problems: leaves and construction debris clogging drains; private drainage systems adding extra burden to streets; or missing coordination between construction sites and the sewer network. And another point: the human factor. Too many treat yellow warnings as overcautious and park exactly where it will later become problematic.

Concrete, immediately implementable measures for neighbours

Some things help with little effort and cost nothing or very little:

Move cars: Don’t park in rambla beds or low garages. A safe parking spot saves trouble on Sunday.

Secure terraces and balconies: Put chairs against the wall, bring cushions inside, tie plants down. Wet cushions are a small but annoying collateral damage.

Check drains: A quick look at the gutter in front of the house can work wonders. Remove leaves if they are in the danger zone.

Inform neighbours: Elderly people, pets, mobility-impaired residents — a short phone call creates safety. Community often works better than any warning message.

What municipalities and authorities should do in the short term

There are practical measures that can take effect immediately: temporary road closures at known problem spots, sandbag stockpiles at critical inlets, targeted street-clearing before heavy rain, and SMS warnings for affected neighbourhoods. Also useful: controlled opening of higher parking areas so drivers have safe alternatives.

In the medium term, regular cleaning schedules for drains and rambla inflows should become standard — not only after severe events. And: better coordination between construction site operators and drainage services.

Behaviour in rain: practical and simple

Remember a few rules today rather than tomorrow: avoid low underpasses, do not walk on waterfront promenades during strong gusts, drive slower and keep distance in cars, following official DGT advice for driving in heavy rain. And very important: never drive through unknown bodies of water. Depth can be deceptive.

A realistic outlook

The Yellow Alert is not a drama, but it can be unpleasant for individual neighbourhoods. Interruptions are expected, maybe some flooding and the usual stories of wet shoes and tied-down awnings. The bigger lesson is organisational: those who act early have less to clean up later.

Summary: Saturday 8–20:00 Yellow Alert. Heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms with locally limited flooding are possible. Do not park cars in rambla beds, secure balconies, check drains, support elderly neighbours. Calm helps — preparation helps more.

A small tip at the end: a quick check of the drains in front of your door and a phone call to your neighbourhood takes time but often saves more nerves than wet flooring. Mallorca likes to surprise us — together we can cushion a lot.