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La Manga hit by sudden, unexpected storm
Lightning, hail and strong winds took locals by surprise, but where did it come from and why did no one know it was coming?
People living near La Manga del Mar Menor and Cabo de Palos couldn’t believe their eyes this Wednesday night, November 22, when all of a sudden, without any warning, a strong and unexpected storm left hail and rain pelting down all night long.
Although it hadn’t been detected in forecasts by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), their radars detected it at exactly 11.45pm, when it was approaching the coast from the Mediterranean. The lightning strikes began forty minutes earlier, at 11.10pm, and kept the sky illuminated until after midnight.
Luis Bañón, spokesperson for the Aemet delegation in the Region of Murcia, explained that this sudden storm happened as a result of “the entry of cold air, due to a storm that is located very far away” in the south of Sicily, across the Mediterranean Sea.
The tail end of that Italian storm pushed its way across the Mediterranean, forming a storm that left sudden wind gusts of 40 kilometres per hour and which nobody thought would travel so far over the water to hit to southern coast of Spain.
Since it was so localised, the storm discharged pretty much all its lightning on the southern flank of La Manga del Mar Menor, according to meteorologist Pedro José Gómez Cascales from MeteOrihuela.
The geophysicist shared an image online that show a lightning flash illuminating the RM-12 La Manga highway, while in the Cartagena district of Los Belones there were large hailstones.
¡Importante actividad eléctrica! #Tormenta muy localizada descargando en el flanco sur de #LaManga del #MarMenor, en el entorno de #CaboDePalos. Esta madrugada (23/11/2023), fogonazo o resplandor captado desde la Autovía de La Manga o RM-12. Imagen: Jesús Moreno. pic.twitter.com/DnzraryeqD
— MeteOrihuela (@MeteOrihuela) November 22, 2023
The storm and rain made an appearance accompanied by strong winds, as can be seen in several videos shared by residents of the area.
¡Sorpresa! Esta madrugada (23/11/2023), #tormenta muy localizada descargando en el flanco sur de #LaManga del #MarMenor, en el entorno de #CaboDePalos. Se reporta #granizo pequeño. Vídeo: Gonzalo Vicente. pic.twitter.com/lgAcMMlhaR
— MeteOrihuela (@MeteOrihuela) November 22, 2023
The weather forecast for the rest of this weekend is for sunshine and pleasant temperatures, but how much can we trust that forecast now?!
Image: Aemet
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