How did you start working with AEMET?
Vicent: I’ve been recording rainfall for 45 years. I was semi-retired when my son told me they were looking for people to help out and, since I enjoy this, I said yes. That was 17 years ago.
Enrique: I started later, I’m not sure if it’s been 10 or 12 years. I’ve had a personal automatic weather station for 30 years now, just for private use, because I’ve always liked the subject.
How is the weather measured in Formentera?
Enrique: I have a rain gauge at my house in Sant Francesc and every day I check for dew, whether it’s rained, how many liters have fallen, and all the rest. AEMET has an automatic station in Es Ca Marí, managed by the company Tragsa, which measures solar radiation, wind, rainfall, temperature and humidity. It’s very comprehensive.
Vicent: I’m based in La Mola and I have a weather garden at home where I record pressure, temperature and rainfall.
What’s the climate difference between La Mola and Sant Francesc?
Enrique: La Mola sits at 153 meters above sea level, while Sant Francesc is at 52. It’s always windier in La Mola, it gets more rain, and the temperature is about 1,5ºC cooler.
What extreme changes have you noticed on the island?
Vicent: Spring and fall are disappearing. We go straight from cold to hot, and we’re left with summer and winter – though winter doesn’t really feel like winter anymore.
Do you remember any weather records in particular?
Vicent: On November 15, 1985, there was record rainfall – 185 liters per square meter fell in just two hours and fifteen minutes. It was wild. And then there was the temperature record, on August 13, 1922. It hit 44ºC, though luckily it only lasted a short while.
And drought?
Vicent: The worst year was 1995, when we only collected 207 liters per square meter all year. That’s nothing, considering the annual average at my place is 480 liters.
Storms have been hitting Formentera hard lately.
Vicent: Well, every 18 to 20 years or so we usually get an exceptional windstorm. The last big one was November 10, 2001.
What happened that day?
Vicent: A low-pressure system and a high-pressure system came very close together and formed a corridor in the Mediterranean that brought powerful north or northeast winds. They destroyed everything along the shore.
So, is the next big one still to come? Some recent ones have seemed pretty strong.
Vicent: Yes, but none like the old ones. In fact, the 1980 storm began on December 28 and continued on the 29th and 30th – two more days.
Climate is more of a hot topic than ever. Have you thought twice about getting involved in this after retirement?
Enrique: Not at all, because we do it gladly. And as they say, if you enjoy the itch, you don’t mind the scratch.
