Rissaga explained: Ciutadella's draining harbour and the warning for Mallorca
Wetter Mallorca editorial team · · 2 min read
A rissaga is a meteotsunami: in harbours and coves of the Balearic Islands the sea level drops and rises within minutes. The famous case is Ciutadella in Menorca, where the water swung by up to 4 metres on 15 June 2006. The Meteoalerta plan provides rissaga warnings only for the coasts of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca included, with yellow from 0.7 m.
What happens during a rissaga in the Balearics and Mallorca
Rissaga is the Menorcan word for a meteotsunami. According to the Catalan Wikipedia it occurs in some coves and harbours of the Balearic Islands: the sea level swings unusually hard, with swings that can reach 2 metres over periods of about 10 minutes. First the water drops suddenly, shallow parts of a harbour drain within minutes and boats touch bottom. Then the water rushes back, drags boats along and floods quays, parked cars and buildings near the port. This can repeat for hours and return on the following days. This description comes from Ciutadella. The sources cited here name no cases for individual harbours in Mallorca.
The cause lies in the air, not in the seabed. Rapid swings in air pressure set the water moving, and when they match the natural oscillation of a harbour, it builds up. According to the Catalan Wikipedia the phenomenon comes with southerly winds, not with a north wind. The Spanish Wikipedia adds warm air in the lowest layers and only light to moderate wind at the surface. So there need not be a storm on the beach.
Ciutadella is in Menorca, not Mallorca
The best known place for rissagas is the long, narrow harbour of Ciutadella, on the west side of Menorca. On 15 June 2006 the water there swung by up to 4 metres, and a strong rissaga had already hit the harbour on 21 June 1984. Typical rissagas, according to the Spanish Wikipedia, stay between 60 and 120 centimetres. For Ciutadella, the Balearic coastal observing system SOCIB runs its own forecast model together with AEMET and the port authority, as a complement to AEMET's warnings.
Which rissaga warning applies to Mallorca
The rissaga is not limited to Menorca. AEMET lists it in its Meteoalerta plan as a coastal phenomenon of its own, warned for the coasts of the Balearic Islands only (thresholds). The levels therefore also apply to Mallorca's coastal zones:
- Yellow: sea level swings of 0.7 to 1 m
- Orange: swings of 1 to 2 m
- Red: swings of more than 2 m
Whether a rissaga warning is currently in force for Mallorca is shown on the Mallorca weather warnings page. Worth knowing: a rissaga is not a wave rolling in from the open sea but a harbour or cove emptying and refilling. How warm the sea around the island gets through the year is on the sea temperature page.
Frequently asked questions
Do rissagas happen in Mallorca too?
Yes. According to Wikipedia the phenomenon occurs in some coves and harbours of the Balearic Islands, and the Meteoalerta plan provides rissaga warnings only for the coasts of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca included. The best known case, however, is Ciutadella in Menorca.
When does AEMET issue a rissaga warning for Mallorca?
Yellow applies to sea level swings of 0.7 to 1 m, orange to 1 to 2 m and red to more than 2 m. That is set out in Annex 1 of the Meteoalerta plan.
Is a rissaga in Mallorca a tsunami?
No, not in the usual sense. It does not start in the seabed but in rapid swings of air pressure, which is why it is called a meteotsunami.
How big can a rissaga get in the Balearics and Mallorca?
The strongest case was in Ciutadella harbour, in Menorca, where the water swung by up to 4 metres on 15 June 2006. Typical rissagas stay between 60 and 120 centimetres.
Text written with AI and automatically checked against editorial rules before publication. Figures come from the linked sources. Wetter Mallorca is not an official weather service.
