High-Temperature Warnings Issued Across Canary Islands
The Canary Islands’ Emergency Directorate has declared a high-temperature warning and a fire risk alert starting at 11:00 AM tomorrow. This applies across the archipelago and particularly to Tenerife, El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, and Gran Canaria at elevations above 400 metres.
This decision follows an expected heatwave lasting several days, driven by a warm, dry air mass from Africa. The eastern islands, especially Gran Canaria, will feel the most intense heat initially, with conditions expected to spread across the rest of the Canary Islands from Friday through the weekend.
The State Meteorological Agency forecasts that temperatures could reach or exceed 34 degrees Celsius in Gran Canaria’s southern and western interior areas, with some spots potentially hitting 38 degrees by the weekend. Fuerteventura may see temperatures up to 33 degrees, while interior regions of Tenerife are predicted to see between 32 and 33 degrees.
Accompanying this heat is a low thermal inversion around 400 metres in Gran Canaria and between 500 and 700 metres in the western islands, likely leading to warm and dry conditions in forested areas, with humidity dropping below 30%. This scenario heightens the risk of wildfires, particularly on Friday and Saturday.
Moderate northeast trade winds will prevail, with occasional strong gusts in exposed areas and inter-island channels. Although no widespread strong winds are predicted at this time, emergency services will monitor the situation closely due to the potential fire risk.
There may also be light calima, especially in the eastern islands, although significant dust concentrations are not expected.
The Canary Government will continuously monitor the weather and may adjust the alerts or escalate their severity based on future predictions and risk factors.
