Red alert as La Palma sees hardly any rain

At Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma, a station operated by AEMET recorded wind gusts of 110 kilometres per hour, the highest reading recorded at any of the Spanish Meteorological Agency’s stations between 18:03 on Tuesday and 01:00 on Wednesday. In Izaña on Tenerife, the gusts reached 100 kilometres per hour, and in Puntagorda on La Palma, 85.

Rainfall remained in the single figures during the same period. El Paso on La Palma recorded the highest figure at 4.8 litres per square metre, followed by Pinar-Depósito on El Hierro with 2.4 and Vallehermoso-Alto Igualero on La Gomera with 2.2 litres. Tijarafe-Mirador Time on La Palma recorded 2 litres, whilst Puntagorda recorded 1.4 litres. Two hours after the end of this series of measurements, the orange rain warning for La Palma comes into effect, valid from 3.00 am to 1.59 pm, forecasting up to 30 millimetres in one hour and up to 60 millimetres in twelve hours.

Due to the wind, the whole of La Palma has been on the highest red alert since 3 am. The AEMET forecasts gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour until 11.59 am and estimates the probability at between 40 and 70 per cent. The south-westerly wind is affecting the peaks, the north-western slopes and the eastern and south-eastern slopes in particular. Until 2.59 am, an orange warning had been in force with gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour, and the station at Roque de los Muchachos recorded exactly this figure. On Wednesday, an orange alert was initially in place across the whole of the Canary Islands, before the Meteorological Service put La Palma alone on red, whilst the remaining islands stayed on orange. On the peaks of Tenerife, the AEMET considers local gusts of more than 130 kilometres per hour to be possible.

Wind warning for Tenerife: Orange alert in force until early afternoon

From Tuesday at 9.00 pm until Wednesday at 1.59 pm, an orange alert is in force in the north of Tenerife, as well as in the east, south and west. The AEMET forecasts gusts of up to 120 and 110 kilometres per hour respectively; the highest-altitude areas, the coasts in the far west and the south-eastern slopes will be most severely affected. For the greater Santa Cruz and La Laguna areas, a yellow alert will be in force from midnight until 5.59 pm, with gusts of up to 70 kilometres per hour, particularly at medium and high altitudes.

Due to rough seas, an orange warning is in force along the coasts in the Santa Cruz and La Laguna areas, as well as in the east, south and west, until 12.59 pm; on the north coast, it remains in force until 6.59 am. The Met Office expects winds from the west to south-west at 50 to 74 kilometres per hour in these areas. This will be followed by yellow coastal warnings, which will remain in force for the longest in the east, south and west – namely until 8.59 pm. From 6.00 am, a yellow warning for rain of up to 20 millimetres in an hour will also be in place: in the north until 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.

Wind warnings for Gran Canaria and the rest of the Canary Islands

On Gran Canaria, an orange alert is in force from midnight until 17.59 due to strong winds, with gusts of up to 100 and 90 kilometres per hour. The south-westerly wind will mainly affect mid-altitude areas and long stretches of coastline in the north-west and south-west; on the mountain peaks, it may locally exceed 110 kilometres per hour. The north coast is under an Orange warning for rough seas until 12.59 pm, whilst the remaining coastlines are under a Yellow warning until 3.59 pm. From 9.00 am to 7.59 pm, a Yellow warning is also in place for rain of up to 15 millimetres in an hour. It is only following the upgrade of the wind warning on Gran Canaria that an Orange warning or higher will apply across all the islands from 6.00 am.

El Hierro and La Gomera will be 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. On El Hierro, the higher elevations and the coasts at the eastern and western tips will be particularly affected; on La Gomera, large parts of the mid-altitude areas and the peaks, as well as the coasts in the north-north-west and south-south-east, will be affected. For both islands, a yellow warning is in place from 6.00 am to 3.59 pm for rain of up to 20 millimetres in an hour; yellow coastal warnings remain in force until 9.59 am. On Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, an orange warning is in force from 6.00 am to 5.59 pm for gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour; the AEMET puts the probability of this occurring there at between 10 and 40 per cent. Both islands will feel the wind across their entire areas, particularly on the northern and north-western slopes.

In the higher elevations of La Palma and Gran Canaria, rain and thunderstorms can trigger flash floods which flow down through the barrancos to the coast. Particular caution is therefore advised in and around the ravines.