Just under a week ago, the Canary Islands experienced not only its warmest August in 62 years but also one of its wettest since records began in 1961, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
Specifically, temperatures last month were 2.3 degrees above the seasonal average, categorising it as an “exceptionally hot” August.
Additionally, Aemet notes that the islands received unusually high rainfall for August, recording 2.6 mm, which is 24% more than the typical accumulation for the month. This ranks as the eighth rainiest August on record.
Breaking it down by province, Santa Cruz de Tenerife had an average temperature of 2.3 degrees higher, while Las Palmas was slightly warmer at 2.4 degrees above average. Maximum temperatures were also hotter in Las Palmas, by 2.8 degrees, in comparison to 2.6 degrees in Tenerife.
Minimum temperatures saw an uptick as well, rising by 2.1 degrees in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and 1.9 degrees in Las Palmas.
El Hierro reported the highest temperature this August at 46.2 degrees, recorded in the Tacorón-Lapillas region on the 12th. La Aldea was not far behind, registering 45.8 degrees on the same day.
Tourist hotspot Playa del Inglés in Gran Canaria saw temperatures soar to 45.2 degrees Celsius, while above 43-degree temperatures were recorded in the island’s midlands. Other areas like Lanzarote Airport, La Gomera, Morrojable Port in Fuerteventura, the Time viewpoint in La Palma, and Las Mercedes-Llano Los Loros area in Tenerife also saw temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.
Two heatwaves were identified las month, the first from the 10th to the 14th and a second from the 20th to the 26th, with a brief respite on the 25th.
Despite the unusually wet August, the ongoing hydrological year, starting from October 2022, remains categorised as “extremely dry”, marking it as the seventh driest year since 1961.
