The clock is ticking for the heatwave in the Canary Islands. After enduring two scorching weeks, with temperatures soaring to 39 degrees Celsius in the middle of October – an event deemed “exceptional” by Aemet, the heatwave is set to recede starting tomorrow. Maximum temperatures are expected to drop by two to three degrees on average this Sunday, with a more pronounced decrease anticipated on Monday. This change marks the beginning of an autumn week that promises much-needed rain, as indicated by weather models.
Currently, four islands – Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote – are under a yellow warning for high temperatures. Thermometers could reach up to 34 degrees Celsius in these areas, with the possibility of similar values in La Gomera and El Hierro. The following morning will flirt with the border between tropical and equatorial night temperatures (up to 25 degrees), while haze will continue to affect the atmosphere, although with a reduced level of concentration compared to recent days.
For Sunday, Aemet has scaled down the yellow heat warning to cover only Tenerife and Gran Canaria. In the southern parts of these islands, highs of 34 degrees Celsius are still possible. In the rest of the archipelago, a “slight or moderate” temperature drop is expected along with a reduction in suspended dust in the afternoon.
Turning to the rain forecast for next week, the prediction models point to the arrival of an Atlantic front over La Palma, which will bring precipitation from Tuesday onwards, intensifying on Wednesday and possibly Friday. While it’s too early to confirm, if the situation remains unchanged, the rains should spread across all the islands as the front moves from northwest to southeast.
Heatwave in the Canary Islands: record-breaking peak temperatures
Yesterday, the Canary Islands once again dominated the list of the country’s highest temperatures. Tasarte in Gran Canaria recorded the highest at 37.1 degrees Celsius, followed by Adeje (36.8), Arucas (36.2), La Graciosa (35.8), La Aldea de San Nicolás (35.8), Arico (35.5), Vallehermoso in La Gomera (35.1), Llano de los Loros in La Laguna (34.7), and the Majorero municipalities of Antigua (34.2) and Pájara (34.1).
The prolonged duration of this heatwave (15 days) can be attributed to the shift of the anticyclone towards the Mediterranean and the low-pressure system northwest of the Azores, leading to the influx of an African air mass since September 30, bringing with it the Calima dust.
Additionally, an increase in warmer-than-normal nights across all the islands has been observed. In October so far, all early mornings have experienced tropical or equatorial conditions, with unusual temperatures reaching up to 27 degrees Celsius in the midlands of northern Tenerife.
Extending the records to last summer reveals two significant data points that underscore the changing weather patterns: Izaña, near Mount Teide, recorded early mornings with temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius, and the capital of Tenerife saw only two nights between July and August with temperatures below this threshold. These unprecedented conditions have led to the suspension of classes at all educational levels since Wednesday, except at the university – an unprecedented measure in the archipelago.
Moreover, this heatwave has rekindled several forest fires in northern Tenerife, which remained at level 2 as of last night. This situation forced 110 residents in the highlands of the municipality of El Sauzal to evacuate their homes.
Agriculture on the island is also suffering the consequences of this unseasonal heatwave, compelling farmers to exert extra effort due to changes in production cycles and increased irrigation requirements, all in an effort to avoid the hottest hours of the day.
