Snow in Ibiza

Snow in Ibiza? Yes, we haven’t gone crazy friends. As incredible as it might sound it can snow in Ibiza, it doesn’t happen very often but it does sometimes. Although most people imagine Ibiza as a tropical paradise, the island does have seasons and changes in temperature as well, though the Mediterranean climate is milder due to the influence of the sea and the temperatures are never extreme due to its geographical situation.

However when a freezing cold wave comes over not even Ibiza can escape from it.

The first major snowfall recorded happened in February 1956. A Siberian cold wave that had all Europe frozen, arrived to the Pitiuses dropping temperatures down to -3 degrees Celsius. Something never seen before on the island! Up to seven snowfalls were recorded in that same month and therefore it was baptized with the name of “any des fred” (the cold year).

The most curious thing of all is that 56 years after the big snowfall of February `56, the same thing happened. A great cold wave from Siberia swept Ibiza in February 2012, leaving behind a completely snow-covered island. This time the temperatures did not drop below 0 degrees, but we could find the same scenes, pine forests and beaches covered with snow.

It is, without doubt, a great event for the inhabitants of the island. Apart from the unusual and beautiful image, it also brings a certain “chaos” caused by the lack of resources and infrastructure. The roads are frozen and the roughest roads are cut off. And most of the houses since most are not prepared for freezing temperatures. Some of the older people remember that during the big snow-fall in 1956 children went several weeks without going to school because all the teachers were ill due to the terrible cold and humidity.

Another curious fact is that in both cases during the month prior to the snowfall, in January, the average temperature on the island was about 20 degrees. People sunbathing and strolling on the beaches with no idea of what was going to happen within a few weeks. Whims of the weather!!

Anyway, as we’ve said before, this is something that does not usually happen, the normal thing in Ibiza are mild autumns and winters with temperatures around 15 degrees and a maximum of 5 days of rain per month. You’ll obviously feel the humidity and dampness, especially at night, remember that it is an island.

Now we have to wait to know how many years are left for this to happen again and be able to say Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!