The hottest summer in Tenerife occurred in 2023, which was even warmer than the hot summer of 2022 according the meteorological institute.
The meteorological institute, the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) has taken stock of this summer and it shows that last summer was responsible for two hundred temperature records, spread across the islands’ various weather stations.
The balance sheet of the summer shows an average temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius on the islands, this is 1.8 degrees higher than normal. This period saw two hot spells in June and July and two heat waves in August, making this month enter the books as the hottest August month in the Canary Islands.
As for the islands, the heat was mainly reflected in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, where the deviation from the usual summer temperatures stood at +1.8 degrees Celsius. On Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma, the deviation was +1.4°C. This was unprecedented in both provinces.
Records
Over 200 weather records were assigned to the highest average monthly temperature (71 times), the highest average maximum temperature (63), the highest average minimum temperature (76) and the highest absolute maximum temperatures (28). Another notable fact is that all islands experienced tropical nights, as they are called when the thermometer does not drop below 20 degrees Celsius.
In addition, 10% of stations recorded ‘hellish nights’ – when the thermometer does not drop below 30 degrees – and all islands had a day with temperatures above 40 degrees. Another unique event was the first heatwave in August in Guía de Isora, where the lowest daily temperature was recorded at 37.5 degrees Celsius.
Precipitation
Summer 2023 was the second wettest in the islands’ history, with an average of 20.3 litres of water per square metre, almost four times higher than normal (+276%).
This feature of this summer is mainly due to the passage of tropical depression Oscar, which directed the weather in the Canary Islands in June. The archipelago was inundated with an average of almost 17 litres per square metre during this month, five times normal, while July was normal and August 24% wetter than normal.
The rest of the hydrological year still remains too dry. Recent studies show that in the Canary Islands, over the past 12 months, there has been 36% less rainfall than normal.
Many deaths
Extreme heat and temperatures of up to 46.2 degrees have been fatal for dozens of people. The deaths of 81 people are attributed to the exuberant temperatures. The Canary Islands recorded twice as many deaths compared to the same period in 2022.
More weather [HERE]
Guy Devos © Photography
The hottest summer in Tenerife ©
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