TOO HOT ON TENERIFE

It’s too hot on Tenerife and the other Canary Islands compared to long-term averages.

The Canary Islands are experiencing unusually high temperatures for this time of year. Normally, November brings mild and moderate weather to the islands, but the current calima has brought warm air and suspended dust, pushing temperatures up to 32 degrees. Long-term averages for November can be found [HERE].

Highest Temperature in Spain

Meteorologists from the Aemet weather institute warn that this heat wave will peak on Saturday, November 9, 2024, and may only start to subside on Monday, November 11. The calima is creating exceptionally warm November weather, along with dusty, dry air, which makes conditions physically more challenging than usual.

Temperatures began to rise significantly on Friday. In Tasarte, located in La Aldea de San Nicolás (GC), the temperature had already reached 28 degrees by 9:30 a.m. On La Graciosa, the smallest inhabited Canary Island, a temperature of 30.8 degrees was recorded at 9:40 a.m., the highest in all of Spain at that time.

Too Hot Until Monday

Calimas, which are high-altitude winds carrying dust—rather than sand or grains— from the North African dust belt and ultimately from the Western Sahara, affect the Canary Islands for an average of 24.12 days per year. Each episode lasts about 1.8 days on average. In the 1980s, there were at least 40 calima days per year, but a downward trend has since been observed. Nevertheless, the calimas occurring today are often more intense than in the past.

Due to the warm air originating from the hot Sahara, temperatures are expected to rise above 30 degrees Celsius over the weekend, creating an exceptionally warm period for the Canary archipelago. The transported dust adds physical challenges; people with respiratory conditions are advised to stay indoors, and healthy individuals should avoid strenuous physical activities. A change in weather is expected on Monday, with cooler northern winds sweeping in to disperse the intense heat and dust.

Tropical Nights

Despite the warm November weather, October was relatively normal on the Canary Islands. The average temperature was 20.5°C, slightly above usual with a deviation of +0.3°C. The average rainfall was 22.5 mm, representing 71% of the normal amount for October.

A notable difference from last year is the number of tropical nights: October recorded 715 tropical nights this year, compared to 2,023 the previous year. The 715 tropical nights refer to the total nights above 20 degrees Celsius recorded across all weather stations on the Canary Islands during the month.

A Normal October

In the western province, October was slightly warmer than usual, although temperatures remained moderate without any exceptional peaks. In the province of Las Palmas, maximum temperatures remained relatively low, while minimum temperatures showed a slight increase.

Throughout October, temperatures stayed slightly above or at the average from October 1 to 21. However, from the 22nd onward, a marked decrease was observed, with the lowest temperatures on October 30 and 31.

More WEATHER can be read [HERE]

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Too hot on Tenerife ©