The General Directorate of Emergencies of the Canary Islands Government declared a wildfire alert situation on Monday for all the islands in the western province and Gran Canaria, starting from 800 meters altitude in the north and 400 meters in the south.
The alert was issued due to the weather forecast indicating the arrival of a episode of warm and dry continental African air advection, accompanied by a variable amount of calima dust, resulting in abnormally high temperatures for the time of year.
Temperature inversion will persist but will be situated at less than 400 meters altitude for several days, with relative humidity expected to be below 30%.
Temperatures will rise from Tuesday and will markedly increase between Wednesday and Thursday, according to the General Directorate, with the average rise in forested areas possibly exceeding ten degrees, and from Thursday daytime maximum temperatures equal to or exceeding 30-32 degrees Celsius are likely.
Additionally, there will be variable wind in direction and intensity in mid-altitude and high areas during this episode.
This situation adds to the meteorological drought and rainfall deficit, especially in the southern and western slopes of the islands.
This episode will be first noticed in Gran Canaria, where the alert will be effective from 3:00 pm tomorrow and will spread to the rest of the islands throughout Wednesday, making it effective in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife starting from 12:00 pm on that day.
Temperatures exceeding 34°C
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The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) predicts a exceptionally high temperatures for this time of year starting from Wednesday in Canary Islands, which could exceed 34 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
The influx of this air mass will initially affect the summits and gradually extend towards coastal areas.
It will be from Wednesday, 10th of April, when there will be a significant increase in temperatures in the eastern islands, and a moderate one in the western ones
Temperatures are expected to reach 30 to 32 degrees in the southern and western slopes of Gran Canaria, as well as in the interior areas of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
From Thursday, 11th of April, the situation will spread to the rest of the archipelago, with temperatures forecasted to be higher than 30 degrees, and they could reach, or even exceed, 34 degrees in the inland and south of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the southern half of Gran Canaria, south and southwest of Tenerife, south of La Gomera and El Hierro and southwest of La Palma.
Only in areas protected by the cool regime of the trade winds, generally coastal strips in the north, will temperatures remain below these high maximums.
AEMET forecasts that the situation, with few changes, will persist until Sunday, and from Monday there will be a significant drop in temperatures, although there will still be some areas where maximums could reach 30 degrees.
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Initially, this episode will end on Tuesday, 16th of April.
