A powerful storm front crossing the Archipelago from La Palma to Lanzarote has saturated all municipalities of the western islands (Tenerife and the smaller islands) with abundant rainfall. Interestingly, the areas receiving the most precipitation are those traditionally less prone to rain, namely the south and west slopes of the islands, influenced by the trajectory of the Atlantic storm.
Despite the disturbance's impact on agriculture, it is a welcome development for tourism. The storm, accompanied by spring temperatures, is expected to lose strength by this afternoon (Friday).
The most significant rainfall occurred in the northwest of Tenerife, where 52 litres per square metre fell in the border region between Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte, and Santiago del Teide, as can be seen in this video recorded yesterday.
Additionally, the west of La Palma recorded 40 litres in municipalities like Los Llanos de Aridane, Tijarafe, and Tazacorte, while La Gomera's northwest slope received 36 litres in Arure. El Hierro had less with 17 litres in Valverde.
Tenerife witnessed heavy rainfall across the island, ranging from 5 litres in Tacoronte to 17 in Garachico in the North, and 7 litres in Arico to 30 litres on the coast of Guía de Isora in the South. The metropolitan area of Santa Cruz and La Laguna recorded 13 litres per square metre.
The storm, occasionally accompanied by thunder and lightning, resulted in four flight diversions (three planes bound for Gran Canaria redirected to Tenerife South, and one to Fuerteventura) and delays at airports in La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife North, and Gran Canaria. Minor landslides, fallen branches, and traffic problems were reported, with accidents and breakdowns on the TF-1 and TF-5 motorways.
Conditions are expected to improve today, with AEMET maintaining a yellow warning until 8:00am due to the risk of heavy rain and storms in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. The second half of the day will see reduced instability, with temperatures showing little variation and light southwest winds turning northeast in the afternoon.
AEMET predicts no storm warnings for the weekend, though occasional rains are possible tomorrow in the eastern islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Sunday's forecast includes cloudy intervals with potential light rainfall on the eastern slopes of Tenerife and La Palma.
