Storm Alice Hits Formentera

Rainfall and Flooding

Formentera, October 12, 2025

Yesterday will be remembered in Formentera as the day of an exceptional downpour—the likes of which hadn’t been seen on the island for years. In just a couple of hours, the sky unleashed an enormous amount of rain that turned paths into streams, flooded homes, and caused major power outages. The strength of DANA Alice caught locals by surprise and forced authorities to take emergency measures.

As the day went on, the rain intensified, reaching historic levels in some areas—particularly around Sant Francesc, where nearly 70 litres per square metre fell in just two hours. The impact was clear: flooded roads, power cuts, and the cancellation of scheduled events.

Despite the dramatic nature of the storm, no personal injuries were reported, though the material damage was significant. Affected homes, leaky roofs, collapsed walls, and water-covered streets were all part of a day that many islanders won’t soon forget.

The scale of the storm also forced emergency services across the island to reorganize their operations. Firefighters worked tirelessly for hours, pumping water from flooded homes, removing fallen trees, and responding to dozens of calls from residents affected by the storm.

Torrential Rain Over the Island

Yesterday afternoon, just when it seemed DANA Alice had moved away from the Pityusic Islands, clouds once again blanketed the skies over Formentera. Shortly after 3 p.m., the sky turned pitch black and an intense downpour lasted for over an hour. In that brief span, between 40 and 70 litres per square metre were recorded in the island’s lowlands, with Sant Francesc accumulating over 100 litres since midnight.

The Civil Protection alert reached residents’ phones only after the worst of the rain had already passed. By that time, much of the road network was overwhelmed: the main road was flooded in several sections and the road to Cap de Barbaria was completely closed.

Power Outages and Electrical Failures

From the early hours, around six hundred customers were without electricity in the island’s southwest due to an outage reported at 5 a.m. By mid-afternoon, a second incident affected more than a thousand users on the La Savina line, including areas such as Estany des Peix, Porto Salè, and Cala Saona.
The power company Endesa reported late in the day that 576 customers were still without electricity, even though the first failure had been partially resolved. Some residents continued to report low voltage issues or complete lack of supply.

Firefighters in Action

Emergency teams worked non-stop from early afternoon. Firefighters from the Consell responded to flooded homes with up to twenty centimetres of water and removed fallen trees. The local government issued a safety advisory on social media, urging the public to avoid unnecessary travel while cleanup and drainage work was ongoing.

Event Cancellations

The 15k Formentera Sunset Run, which had over 2,000 registered participants, had to be definitively cancelled after the orange alert was reactivated. The event had received the green light at midday when the Balearic Government downgraded the alert to yellow, but the rapid development of the DANA forced organisers to cancel the race for safety reasons.
Even so, some runners expressed frustration on the event’s social media, criticising the last-minute cancellation when forecasts had been warning of these conditions for days.

Disruptions to Travel Between Ibiza and Formentera

The storm also impacted residents and tourists needing to travel to Ibiza to catch flights or ferries. Just like with former hurricane Gabriel a few weeks ago, DANA Alice caused major issues with airport access and maritime traffic between the islands.
Rain is expected to continue intermittently throughout the week in Formentera and Ibiza, so the full consequences of this latest DANA are still being assessed. Hopefully, any further rainfall will arrive in a gentler manner than what we saw yesterday.