The Canary Islands have just experienced their hottest summer on record, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). During the presentation of the climate balance for summer 2023, government delegate Anselmo Pestana and Aemet’s territorial delegate in the Canary Islands, David Suárez, confirmed this unprecedented heatwave.
The average temperature across the archipelago during the summer reached 23.4 degrees Celsius, a staggering 1.6 degrees above the usual value based on the reference period of 1991-2020. This marks the warmest summer in the region since 1961.
Suárez highlighted a significant record-breaking moment when he mentioned that the highest temperature ever recorded in the Canaries was a scorching 46.2 degrees Celsius in Tacorón, El Hierro, on August 12th.
The summer was punctuated by two intense heatwaves, one from August 10th to 14th and another from August 20th to 24th, during which temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius on all the islands. Additionally, there were two hot spells in June and July. On the precipitation front, the summer was unusually wet, with a total accumulation of 20.7 mm, making it the second wettest summer since 2015.
CANARY ISLANDS ARE LOOKING AT A WARMER AUTUMN
Looking ahead, Suárez shared seasonal forecast models, indicating a high probability of over 70% for a warmer-than-normal autumn in the Canaries. However, there is also a 40% chance that the season may bring more rainfall than usual to the archipelago.
