Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.
Wildfire alert declared for Gran Canaria and Tenerife
The Government of the Canary Islands, through its Directorate-General for Emergencies, has declared a wildfire alert for Gran Canaria and Tenerife from 08:00 this Wednesday, 23 September. In a statement, the regional executive said the decision was taken on the basis of information provided by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) and other available sources, and in application of the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Response to Wildfires of the Canary Islands (INFOCA).
Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria, meanwhile, are on pre-alert for high temperatures from 11:00 this Tuesday, 22 September.
Hot African air mass to push temperatures higher
As for the fire risk, a spell of high temperatures is forecast from Tuesday in the eastern islands, with a tendency to intensify and spread progressively to the rest of the archipelago from Wednesday, 23 September. The meteorological models analysed show a consistent evolution towards a period of high temperatures associated with a mass of hot air of African origin, with an intensification of the episode expected from Wednesday.
In Gran Canaria, highs of 34C are expected, locally 36C, mainly on the southern and western slopes, with figures of around 34C in the Tejeda basin and the Valle de Agaete. Minimum temperatures will also rise, and may locally remain at around 26-28C in Gran Canaria, reaching close to 24-26C in Tenerife.
High temperatures will persist on Thursday, with a more significant rise in Tenerife, reaching and possibly exceeding 34C. This set-up will favour the establishment of a hot, dry air mass over the mid-altitude and forested areas, with relative humidity below 30 per cent above the inversion layer, moderate easterly winds and the inversion level sitting between 200 and 300 metres.
Fire risk set to peak between Thursday and Friday
The various meteorological products analysed show a coherent evolution towards a progressive increase in wildfire risk over the coming days, especially between Thursday and Friday, when the episode is expected to become more generalised across the rest of the archipelago. The situation will be subject to permanent monitoring, and the territorial scope of the INFOCA alert may be updated depending on how the weather forecasts and the risk indices from Aemet and the Government of the Canary Islands evolve.
Eastern islands first to feel the heat
On the high temperatures, a spell is expected to begin on Tuesday, 22 September in the eastern islands, with a tendency to intensify and spread progressively to the rest of the archipelago from Wednesday, 23 September. The meteorological models analysed show a consistent evolution towards a period of high temperatures associated with a mass of hot air of African origin.
On Tuesday, maximum temperatures of 32C are expected in Fuerteventura, locally reaching 34C, mainly inland and in the south-east; 34C in Gran Canaria, locally 36C, especially in the southern mid-altitudes and low-lying areas of the south-east; and 30C in Lanzarote, locally 32C.
From Wednesday, an intensification of the episode is forecast. In Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, highs of 36C are expected, locally reaching 38C, especially inland and in the south. In Gran Canaria, highs of 34C are forecast, locally 36C, mainly on the southern and western slopes, with figures of around 34C in the Tejeda basin and the Valle de Agaete.
Minimum temperatures will also rise, and may locally remain at around 26-28C in Gran Canaria, reaching close to 24-26C in Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. High temperatures will persist on Thursday, with a more significant rise in Tenerife and the western islands.
Dry conditions and calima expected
The episode may be accompanied by dry conditions in the mid-altitudes and higher areas, along with light calima, mainly in the eastern islands. Given the expected duration of the episode and how the models are evolving, the situation will be monitored continuously, and the level of activation may be extended depending on updates to the weather forecasts and the warnings issued by Aemet.
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