On Thursday, all seven Canary Islands will be affected by a severe Calima, with La Palma being hit the hardest. There, the daily average concentration of particulate matter (PM10) will rise to 80 micrograms per cubic metre on Thursday, and air quality is expected to be poor on that day. The Calima forecast from Teneriffa News is based on the Copernicus CAMS model and on measurements from the European Environment Agency.
From Wednesday to Friday, the strong Calima will persist on La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. According to the forecast, Gran Canaria will reach 77 micrograms on Wednesday, and Tenerife 73 on the same day. The dust event will end earlier on La Gomera and El Hierro, where it finishes as early as Thursday. On Wednesday, levels of 72 and 69 micrograms respectively are expected on these two islands, and the air quality there will also be classified as poor.
Fuerteventura and Lanzarote will not be affected by the strong Calima until Thursday – just as it is coming to an end on La Gomera and El Hierro. On Friday, particulate matter levels will rise to 78 micrograms on Fuerteventura and 71 on Lanzarote. By the weekend, Fuerteventura will therefore be just below La Palma’s peak level.
Canary Islands: This time, the Calima is blowing from west to east
On 22 October, the Calima forecast predicted heavy Calima dust first for Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura; the following day, it moved on to Tenerife and La Gomera. This week, however, it is the turn of the eastern islands. At that time, the dust event coincided with an orange alert for rain on several islands, as the AEMET had forecast heavy rain in the east of La Palma for that same Thursday. An air quality laboratory sees no fundamental problem with air pollution in the Canary Islands, but Saharan dust does cause PM10 levels to rise sharply at times.
The fine dust irritates the eyes and airways. Anyone with asthma, another respiratory condition or a heart condition, as well as older people and pregnant women, should avoid physical exertion outdoors. This is also suggested by previous advice for at-risk groups during Calima. Keeping windows and doors closed and drinking plenty of fluids can help reduce the impact.
How strong is the Calima today? Calima forecast and readings for the Canary Islands
For exactly how the weather is developing, see our always up-to-date weather forecast for the Canary Islands. Below you can go straight to…
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