Heavy rain for Central Mediterranean by Darren Bett
Forecasters are expecting a spell of very heavy rain and thunderstorms across Central parts of the Mediterranean over the next few days, with a high risk of flooding in places.
An area of low pressure is developing across northern Algeria and Tunisia. It is expected to move north into the Mediterranean where it will deepen producing strong winds and torrential rain for the Balearics, Corsica and Sardinia and then for Italy and Sicily through Tuesday and Wednesday. Heavy showers are already affecting southeastern Spain and the Balearics.
The Mediterranean often sees severe weather at this time of the year due to large contrasts in temperatures between Continental Europe and North Africa. Recently, many central Mediterranean countries have been enjoying temperatures in the mid 20s Celsius (mid 70s F), but across continental Europe temperatures over the past week have plummeted with heavy snow reported over the Alps. The combination of cold air to the north and warm air over the Mediterranean and North Africa will trigger off this spell of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The Balearics, Corsica and Sardinia are likely to bear the brunt of this deepening low and will see the strongest winds.
