Canary Islands wind warning: red for La Palma, orange elsewhere

The Spanish Meteorological Agency AEMET has issued a red alert for the whole of La Palma on Wednesday due to gusts of wind of up to 130 kilometres per hour. The warning is in force from 3.00 am to 11.59 am. The weather service estimates the probability of these conditions occurring at between 40 and 70 per cent. The wind will be blowing from the south-west and will mainly affect the peaks, the north-western flank and the east-south-eastern flank of the island.

Overnight, the situation on La Palma is gradually worsening. An orange warning will come into effect as early as Tuesday at 6.00 pm, with gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour, followed by a red warning at 3.00 am. At the same time, an orange warning for rain will come into effect: until 1.59 pm, rainfall of up to 30 millimetres in one hour and up to 60 millimetres in twelve hours is possible. From 12 noon until 3.59 pm, only a Yellow warning will be in force for the wind, with gusts of up to 70 kilometres per hour.

The wind warning for Tenerife is one level lower, but peak wind speeds are still close to those on La Palma. An orange warning is in place for the north, as well as the east, south and west, from Tuesday at 9.00 pm until Wednesday at 1.59 pm, with gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour. The AEMET specifically mentions high-altitude areas, the coasts in the far west and the south-eastern flank. On the mountain peaks, the wind may locally exceed 130 kilometres per hour, in places surpassing the peak speed stated by the meteorological office for La Palma, which is under a red warning.

Canary Islands: Orange alert in force on five further islands

In Gran Canaria, an Orange warning is in force on Wednesday from midnight until 5.59 pm, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour. The warning mainly affects mid-altitude areas and long stretches of coastline in the north-west and south-west; on the mountain peaks, wind speeds may exceed 110 kilometres per hour. El Hierro and La Gomera are also under an orange warning from Tuesday at 9.00 pm until Wednesday at 5.59 pm, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour there too. On El Hierro, the warning mainly affects higher elevations and the coasts at the eastern and western ends; on La Gomera, it affects mid-altitude areas, the peaks and the coasts in the north-north-west and south-south-east.

Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are included in the orange wind warning for the Canary Islands on Wednesday from 6.00 am to 5.59 pm. There, gusts will reach up to 90 kilometres per hour, particularly on the northern and north-western slopes. The probability of the warning being issued is between 10 and 40 per cent, which is lower than on the western islands.

For the sea, the AEMET has issued a warning of westerly or south-westerly winds of force seven to eight, i.e. 50 to 74 kilometres per hour. An orange alert is in force from midnight along the coasts in the Santa Cruz area and La Laguna, in the east, south and west of Tenerife, and in the north of Gran Canaria until 12.59 pm; on the east and west coasts of La Palma until 9.59 am; and on the north coast of Tenerife until 6.59 am. A yellow warning is in force on Wednesday for the coasts of La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, as well as the east, south and west of Gran Canaria.

Tenerife: Winds are easing, but the rain warning remains in place

On Wednesday afternoon, the wind warning for Tenerife will be downgraded: from 2.00 pm to 5.59 pm, a yellow warning will be in force, with gusts of up to 70 kilometres per hour. In the Santa Cruz and La Laguna areas, this level has been in place since midnight, particularly for mid-altitude and higher areas. At the same time, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for up to 20 millimetres of rain in an hour: in the north from 6.00 am to 3.59 pm, in the east, south and west until 5.59 pm, and in the Santa Cruz and La Laguna areas from 12.00 pm to 5.59 pm.

The AEMET forecasts the same amount of rainfall between 6.00 am and 3.59 pm on El Hierro and La Gomera. A yellow warning is in place on Gran Canaria from 9.00 am to 7.59 pm, and on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote from 3.00 pm to 9.59 pm, with up to 15 millimetres per hour in each case. Just last Sunday, the Bruna low-pressure system had triggered an orange warning for La Palma and the north of Tenerife.

Rain and thunderstorms in the higher elevations of La Palma and Gran Canaria can trigger flash floods. The water then rushes down through the barrancos to the coast. Particular caution is therefore advised in and around the ravines.