Calima Lanzarote today: forecast and readings

Calima on Lanzarote

Lanzarote lies close to the African coast and therefore to the Sahara. Consequently, meteorologists in the Canary Islands frequently report high levels of dust in the atmosphere. In 2025, the air quality monitoring network recorded high levels at four stations in Arrecife and Teguise. On eleven days, the average exceeded 50 micrograms of PM10 particles per cubic metre. This is the EU’s daily limit value. Hardly any other island recorded so many days with very high levels of over 100 micrograms. On 10 August, the island-wide figure reached 179 micrograms, whilst the Arrecife station reported 213 micrograms at the same time.

In 2025, the days affected by dust were spread across almost the entire year. The model recorded 33 Calima days. By the end of September 2026, there had already been 29 such days. The peak periods were in February, March, April and September.

La Graciosa has neither its own weather station nor its own forecast. Consequently, the Calima figures for Lanzarote also apply there.

How we produce the Calima forecast for Lanzarote

The forecast is based on the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS), which is part of the European Union. It measures and calculates Saharan dust and particulate matter up to five days in advance. The figures are updated every three hours. The model grid cell covering Lanzarote measures around 45 kilometres and thus encompasses almost the entire island.

In the Canary Islands, a ‚Calima day‘ is defined as a day on which the majority of the particulate matter in the air originates from the Sahara, rather than from roads or ports. The classification ranging from ‚good‘ to ‚extremely poor‘ is based on the European Air Quality Index.

Teneriffa News has reviewed all the measurement data for 2025. We have used this to train our models and are continually refining them. Alongside the forecast are the latest readings from the air monitoring network.

Advice from the authorities regarding Calima on Lanzarote

When Lanzarote is affected by a Calima, the Canary Islands Health Authority advises that people should avoid spending long periods outdoors. Furthermore, children in particular, as well as the elderly and those in poor health, should drink plenty of fluids and avoid physical exertion outdoors.

The dust can dry out the airways, leading to a cough, bronchial discomfort and tiredness. You can find the health authority’s recommendations in the original Spanish text here.