Storm brings snow to Spanish tourism mecca

Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Mar 10 (EFE).- The snowstorm that has lashed Spain in recent days arrived on Wednesday at the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, forcing the closure of highways and schools.

In the capital, Palma, the snow at sea level surprised residents, many of whom immortalized the moment by snapping photos with their cellphones amid temperatures of around 2 C (36 F).

In all, 11 highways and roads were closed to traffic due to the heavy snowfall, which on Thursday is expected to continue falling at higher elevations here.

The snow and cold weather has caused consumption of energy to skyrocket all over the Balearic Islands, with natural gas consumption - for instance - increasing by 70 percent in recent hours.

Meanwhile, mainland Spain's northeastern Catalonia region is slowly getting back to normal after the regional paralysis caused by Tuesday's historic snowfall, but problems still remain in the supply of electricity and in traveling by road to France.

The snow blocked the roads and railways, left some 220,000 people without electricity and forced classes to be cancelled for 160,000 students, while coastal towns were battered by waves of up to 7.7 meters (25 feet) and wind gusts of 133 kph (83 mph).