The month of October in Ibiza and Formentera was characterized by being exceptionally warm and dry, according to the report of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). Average temperatures exceeded the usual and rainfall was well below average for this time of year, which has marked an atypical October in these islands of the Balearic archipelago. As for temperatures, the average on Ibiza was 20.6ºC, with an anomaly of 1.5ºC higher than expected, while on Formentera the average reached 21.5ºC, registering an anomaly of 0.8ºC. This increase in temperatures was reflected in the month’s highs, with peaks of up to 32.6ºC in Sant Joan on the 2nd in Ibiza, equaling the record for the same month in 2013. On Formentera, the high for the month was 29.1ºC on the same day. These figures have placed October 2024 as one of the warmest October months in recent years in the region. In terms of rainfall, October was a dry month in both Ibiza and Formentera, where rainfall was well below normal.
Ibiza recorded 30.9 l/m², 47% less than the usual average of 58.4 l/m², while in Formentera the figure was only 22 l/m², 50% less than the historical average of 43.9 l/m². On both islands, the heaviest rainfall day was the 26th, with maximums of 30 l/m² in Sant Joan de Labritja in Ibiza and 10 l/m² in Formentera. Another notable phenomenon was the presence of tropical nights, when temperatures did not drop below 20ºC. At Ibiza airport, eight tropical nights were recorded, when the usual for October is around three. In Formentera, the island’s station also reached 10 tropical nights, a record that triples the average for the month.
Winds
As for winds, the month also presented an increase in days of strong wind, especially in Ibiza, where eight days of wind were recorded with gusts of up to 67 km / h from the southwest on the 17th, and in Formentera, which recorded five days of wind with a maximum of 59 km / h on the same day. Despite the decrease in rainfall, the Aemet has noted the presence of mist and fog in Ibiza for four days and in Formentera for two days. The weather agency concludes that, in general, October has been an anomalous month, with unusual conditions in terms of temperatures and drought on both islands, which have experienced a warm and dry October, marked by tropical nights and windy days.
