Over the weekend violent rain-storms over the western Mediterranean killed 579 people and injured another 316 in Algeria, leaving about 25,000 people homeless, according to inofficial sources. Fierce storms with winds of up to 170 kilometres (100 miles) an hour have also brought devastation to Spain's northeast coast and Balearic Islands, leaving 9 people dead.

The rain-storms were caused by a trough of cold upper-level air (below -25C at 5500m a.s.l.) associated to an area of low-pressure shifting south into the Mediterranean. However, regions water temperatures over widespread areas were still rather warm (often above 20C), thus creating an enormeous temperature-difference (more than 40 degC) between the ground and the mid-level troposphere, destabilizing the atmosphere and eventually leading to blustery downpours and torrential rain.

However, it seems as if a similar weather pattern is reoccuring by mid-week as a new through of cold upper-level air is dropping south. The precipitation forecast is predicting another spell of drenching rain over the Mediterranean and it seems as if the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia and N Spain have to brace for more adverse weather, while Algeria will be spared this time.