Ibiza Just Recorded More Rain in a Day Than Ever Measured

Ibiza Airport measured 173 millimeters of rain in 24 hours on Sunday, October 18, the highest daily total since records began there in 1944. Water entered the terminal and parts of the building were cordoned off. Storm Adam had turned an island better known for sunshine into a flood zone, and the airport sat right in the middle of it.

The numbers show how widely the disruption spread. Across Ibiza and Palma airports, 1,341 flights were affected over October 18 and 19. Ibiza recorded 29 cancellations and 269 delays, while Palma logged 43 cancellations, 12 diversions and more than a thousand delays. Flooding also closed the main road to Ibiza Airport for a time, leaving buses to struggle through standing water and travelers unsure whether they would make their flights at all.

Spain’s weather service kept the pressure on. Orange rain warnings covered Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona and Cadiz, with yellow alerts across much of the eastern and southern mainland and the Balearics except Menorca. Alicante, Valencia, Mallorca and Ibiza had been downgraded from red alert, but forecasters cautioned that very heavy rain could return from Tuesday, with totals of 300 to 400 millimeters possible in some areas.

For passengers, compensation is generally unlikely because severe weather counts as an extraordinary circumstance. Rebooking or a refund remains your right, and airlines should cover meals, accommodation and transport when an overnight stay is unavoidable. Anyone traveling to the Balearics or Spain’s Mediterranean coast this week should check flight status before leaving for the airport and allow extra time for road access.

Sources: AirHelp