Canary Islands record their warmest April in history

Last April, the Canary Islands recorded an average temperature of 19.2 degrees Celsius, marking a significant deviation of +2.7 degrees from the norm and making it the warmest April since records began in 1961.

The islands only received an average rainfall of 4.2 mm, which is just 27% of the expected amount for April, based on the 1991-2020 reference series. This positions it as the 12th driest April since 1961.

The month began with temperatures around the average, but a shift in conditions occurred between April 2 and 6 due to a south-westerly flow prompted by an approaching trough with a front. This caused a noticeable increase in temperatures on April 4 and 5. However, temperatures dropped back to near-average values after the front passed on April 6, 7, and 8.

From April 9, the presence of a DANA (Isolated High-Level Depression) to the west of the Canary Islands and another over North Africa, coupled with an African ridge axis over the archipelago, created an easterly flow that significantly raised temperatures from April 10. This rise was fueled by advection and increased sunlight, which reduced the humid layer over the islands, leading to clearer skies.

The highest temperature spikes were observed on April 11 and 12, with the average temperature across the islands reaching about 9 degrees above the reference series average.

Temperatures began to decline on April 19 due to an anticyclonic system with a more northerly flow, further influenced by a front associated with a squall over the Iberian Peninsula. This shift brought temperatures back below the reference average for the remainder of the month.

Precipitation Analysis in the Canary Islands in April

April saw three distinct precipitation events:

1. On April 1, weak and isolated rainfall occurred, primarily on the northern slopes of the more mountainous islands due to trade wind-induced cloud accumulation.
2. Between April 20 and 22, a trough approached with a northwest-southeast axis, bringing air masses with higher humidity and instability, resulting in light to very light rainfall, influenced by cloud accumulation on the northern slopes and convective cloud development inland and on the leeward sides.
3. From April 27 to 28, a weak front associated with a squall over the far northwest of the Iberian Peninsula crossed the archipelago, producing weak to moderate rainfall, especially in northern Tenerife. The month concluded with a return to anticyclonic conditions on April 29 and 30, featuring a northerly flow and some moisture-rich air masses that caused scattered light rainfall, mainly on the midlands of the northern slopes of the more mountainous islands.