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Canary Islands Brace for Storm 'Therese' as Aemet Warns of Extreme Rain and High Seas

An unusually slow Atlantic low is expected to batter the archipelago for days, heightening the risk of sudden flooding on steep volcanic terrain.

Overview

  • Spain’s weather agency kept severe-weather alerts in place, citing the potential for more than 300 mm of rain in hardest-hit zones with flash floods, landslides and coastal waves near five meters, plus snow above roughly 1,800 meters.
  • Regional authorities shut schools and kindergartens across all islands on Friday and urged residents to work from home to limit travel during the peak of the storm.
  • Air travel has already been disrupted with several flights, especially to La Palma and El Hierro, diverted to other airports, and officials anticipate further cancellations and pauses to inter-island ferries.
  • Forecasts diverge, with ECMWF runs projecting localized 300–500 mm by Sunday in parts of La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, while other models show lower totals; officials stress significant uncertainty in exact impact locations.
  • Closures include Tenerife’s Teide National Park and the Teno mountains, and authorities advise avoiding coastal and mountainous areas where the islands’ topography and limited drainage can rapidly worsen flooding.