Temperatures are set to skyrocket this week as forest fire alerts are activated

The Canary Islands Government, based on the advice of the Spanish Met Office, and in application of the Specific Emergency Plan of the Canary Islands for Risks of Adverse Meteorological Phenomena (PEFMA) has declared an alert for winds throughout the Archipelago, starting at 8:00pm tonight (Monday), and an alert for the risk of forest fires from tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3:00pm, initially in Gran Canaria, but expanding to other islands on Wednesday.

As for the wind alert, it will generally blow from the north and northeast with a variable average speed of between 20 and 50 km/h with gusts of up to 60 km/h in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, while in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura they could exceed 90 km/h.

Regarding the alert for the risk of forest fires, it takes effect in Gran Canaria first from 3:00pm tomorrow, and then to Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro from 12:00pm on Wednesday.

According to the Met Office, an advection of warm and dry continental African air is expected, which will be accompanied by haze in variable amounts from the east effecting Lanzarote and Fuerteventura first before spreading across the rest of the islands.

This will lead to an episode of ‘abnormally’ high temperatures for the time of year. The temperature inversion will persist for several days but will be located at less than 400 metres of altitude and relative humidity below 30% is also expected.

Temperatures will start to rise on Tuesday, but then will do so sharply between Wednesday and Thursday. The average rise in the forest areas could exceed 10 degrees Celsius, and starting Thursday, maximum daytime temperatures equal to or higher than 30-32 degrees are expected in most areas, with local highs reaching 35 degrees in some areas, with the presence of haze.

This situation is added to the meteorological drought and the rainfall deficit, especially on the southern and western slopes of the islands.

Yellow and orange weather warnings:

The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has activated yellow warnings for winds in Gran Canaria, La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and La Palma for this evening. Monday, April 8th.

Tomorrow, Tuesday there will also be yellow warnings for coastal phenomena in the East, South and West of Gran Canaria; Lanzarote; East, South and West of Tenerife; Fuerteventura; La Gomera; East and West of La Palma, as well as El Hierro. And orange notices due to strong winds on three Canary Islands, from 9:00am. The East, South and West of Gran Canaria, as well as Lanzarote and La Gomera, which will have wind gusts of 90 kilometres per hour, will be in that warning.