“Happy day” from Izaña, the spectacular images of the snowy summit of Tenerife after the passage of Celia

The Izaña Atmospheric Observatory, at 2,637 meters above sea level, is one of the most spectacular places in Tenerife to enjoy views of Mount Teide, a unique space for the study of meteorology and in which this week the most winter of the island after the passage of the Celia storm. “Beautiful”, described Sandra Méndez, a worker at the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) in Izaña, sharing images of the National Park covered by a thick layer of snow with the message.

The storm kept Tenerife at risk from snowfall between Monday and Tuesday, along with La Palma and the peaks of Gran Canaria, which forced the closure of all access roads to the National Park due to the presence of ice on the road. However, the situation this Wednesday is already different, so the Cabildo de Tenerife has proceeded to reopen the access via the TF-523 road (Arafo intersection). Likewise, on this day only the Carretera de La Esperanza (TF-24) remains closed from kilometer point 24 to 43 due to the presence of plates on the road.

The snowfall was such between Monday and Tuesday that the AEMET technicians who were at the Observatory had to spend the night in the building as the door was blocked by ice. Fortunately, in the early hours of Tuesday it was possible to rescue the experts who, when going outside, found themselves in an authentic winter landscape: cincelladasthe ground covered with a layer of snow several centimeters thick and very cold, below 0ºC.

For today, the AEMET predicts in the north and inland areas of the north, cloudy skies with weak to moderate rains, which could be locally persistent. In the rest, cloudy intervals, without ruling out some weak precipitation. Temperatures in slight to moderate rise, more pronounced in the midlands and summits. North component wind with strong intervals, more intense in interior areas of the northwest and Anaga. In the afternoon it will turn to the northeast with strong intervals, more intense in the extreme southeast and northwest, with breezes on the southwest coast. In high central peaks, strong north wind in the early hours, decreasing to moderate to strong.

It should be remembered that the Last week this newspaper warned about the arrival of a storm in the Canary Islands that would leave precipitation in the form of rain and snow for several days, strong gusts of wind, waves and a considerable drop in temperatures. As the days went by, the meteorological models confirmed the prediction, and by the weekend incidents were reported due to the wind and the unfortunate news about the death of four people drowned on the island coast.