The heat began to affect from the early hours of the morning after a tropical night where the thermometers did not let up in almost any part of the Islands and were located, in almost the entire island geography, above 20 degrees. Shortly after the start of the day, the thick haze that had been resting on the Islands for several days dissipated the cool air, greatly reducing humidity, and the intense sunlight caused a rapid and intense rise in temperatures.
Canary Islands It woke up being the hottest place in Spain. In the early hours of the morning, some points were already above 40 degrees. It was the case of appraise youin the Village of San Nicolás (Gran Canaria), where just two hours after sunrise, around 09:00 in the morning, the thermometers already marked 41.9 degrees. The situation, as the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) had foreseen, went further. Shortly after noon, the 40 degrees staged the weather in the rest of the Archipelago.
stressed maspalomas, south of Gran Canaria, which reached a maximum of 45.1 degrees. A figure that other unofficial networks raised to 46.6 degrees. It was followed by La Aldea de San Nicolás, where 44.8 degrees were reached shortly after noon. Although Gran Canaria usually holds the title of the epicenter of heat in the Canary Islands, yesterday it was not so much what differentiated it from the rest of the Archipelago.
The Government of the Canary Islands raises the maximum alert for high temperatures in all the Islands
In the middle of the day, when temperatures were at their highest, emergency resources found a 36-year-old man lying in an alley in the sun in San Bartolome de Tirajana. Emergency resources performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers on him without success, so they could only confirm his death.
In Tenerife, the station located in Llano de los Loros, in La Laguna, reached a maximum temperature of 43.5 degrees and the North airport, also close to that location, registered 40.5 degrees. According to unofficial information sources, such as CanaryWeather, 40 degrees were also exceeded in the south of Tenerife and it reached 43.7 in the middle of the municipality of Adeje. The contrasts between north and south were very pronounced, with differences of more than 10 degrees in some areas. For example, in the Valley of La Orotava 28.9 degrees were recorded. This had to do with the entry of haze and relative humidity, since in that area the humidity remained at 77% while in the midlands it dropped to 11%.
Temperatures were also very high west of The Palm. In Puntagorda the thermometers reached 41.2 degrees. According to CanaryWeather, 44.9 degrees were also reached in the Llanos de Aridane, and 40 degrees were exceeded in Fuencaliente and at the summit. thermometers in La Gomera They were generally located at more than 35 degrees, the highest temperature being that recorded in Arure, where they reached 39.9 degrees. In The iron the temperatures were milder and did not exceed 30 degrees.
while, in Lanzarote and Fuerteventurathe humidity, which was found at 50%, eased the heat somewhat more, although it did not prevent it from reaching 37 degrees in Antigua, in the case of Fuerteventura, and 39.7 degrees at the airport, especially in inland areas. from Lanzarote.
As the thermometers escalated exponentially, the Aemet was forced to change the alert levels up to two times. Finally, it was forced to activate the red warning on all the islands, with the exception of Lanzarote, this being the first time in history that this alert level has been activated simultaneously on six islands since the Meteoalerta Plan was bornwhich accounts for the extraordinary nature of this phenomenon.
For the day of this Saturday, in which the thermometers are expected to remain immovable, the Aemet will maintain the red notice only for all the islands, with the exception of El Hierro, the eastern slope of La Palma, the north and the metropolitan area of Tenerife and the north of Gran Canaria, which will remain at a medium risk level, under orange notice. The Aemet has also activated the yellow warnings for winds that could reach 70 kilometers per hour on the green islands for tomorrow.
On Sunday the warnings for temperature are similar, but it is ruled out that the winds continue to blow at high speed. Faced with this situation, the General Directorate of Emergencies has decided to raise the alert level, to be placed on maximum alert due to high temperatures in all the Islands.
On the other hand, the maximum alert for fires in the western islands and in Gran Canaria continues in force. Circumstance that has led to the Council of Tenerife has established certain prohibitions on the use of the forest. Hunting, camping, walking on trails, making barbecues or fires in recreational areas, and burning agricultural waste are thus prohibited throughout the weekend.
Both the heat and the danger of fire have made it necessary to limit or postpone various recreational activities scheduled for this weekend. In Tenerife, access to the Teide to avoid crowds to see the Perseids and in La Gomera the Chipude craft show has been postponed.
