T E N E R I F E ’ S O N LY Issue 681
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W E E K LY N E W S PA P E R
03 December 2010 - 09 December 2010
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Stormy weather ahead! The rain’s in Spain… and it’s also bound for Tenerife WHILE the UK and Spain are already experiencing desperate wintry conditions, Canarians are bracing themselves for heavy rain and even snowfalls on the high ground over the next few days. A heavy storm forecast for the South failed to materialise during daylight hours yesterday (Thursday), although Mount Teide and surrounding areas looked crystal clear from down below, in between the random spot of rain. But an Orange Alert, predicting high winds in Tenerife of up to 90km per hour, was issued by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), which covers mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. And we could also experience storms and gales in the next few days. Santa Cruz expects sunshine today (Friday) and tomorrow, with heavy storms sweeping across the capital on Sunday as they did exactly a year ago, when torrential rain flooded the city and cars were swept away. Holiday-makers who have never experienced storms here before will almost certainly be shocked by the ferocity and intensity of the rain, with roads in the main towns being transformed into rivers almost in a flash! The last big storm that Tenerife suffered was ´Delta´ back in 2005. Hopefully on this occasion the wind will change direction and it will miss the Canaries, like it
“The State Meteor-ological Agency (AEMET) has ordered an orange-level alert in Tenerife by strong winds, with gusts up to 90 miles per hour throughout the day tomorrow, (Friday) mainly in the towns of La Orotava and Vilaflor. This Thursday there is a level signal yellow rain (15 liters per square meter) on the islands of La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, where storms may occasionally be recorded.” did a while back when Madeira was hit by bad storms and flooding. Back in the north of Britain, they are already shivering, with heavy snowfalls in Scotland, Newcastle and North Yorkshire causing chaos, and temperatures dropping further and further (down to minus five degrees in some areas) as the cold
front moves through the country. It is the first widespread snowfall for 17 years in the UK, and Brits are gearing themselves up for a winter of misery on the roads. The AA had already attended more than 10,000 breakdowns nationwide in a 36hour period, with calls coming in at about 1,000 every hour
by yesterday afternoon. And here, an AEMET spokesperson says that Spain, especially, is about to see its first “cold snap” of the year, because of the icy conditions spreading from Britain, which will probably bring snow to northern parts of Spain, especially Cantabria. Apart from the Canaries at risk of heavy rain and snow, several Spanish provinces, including Aragón, Cantabria, Castilla-León, Cataluña, Navarra and the Basque Country are also on Orange
Alert. Snowfalls of up to 10cm are expected in Huesca, Burgos, León, Palencia and Lleida, while Zaragoza could see 4cm of snow. From the beginning of next week, unsettled weather will spread across the whole country “bringing snow and icy temperatures to all areas for a few days”, say the forecasters. A mass of polar air is said to have ravaged the Iberian peninsula yesterday, and in particular the north, where
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snow is expected to fall in some areas as low as 500 metres, according to AEMET. But while temperatures will not rise much above 2C in Britain, the weather in Tenerife is still expected to average around 24C during the day, especially at sea level. So, for all the shivering going on in the UK and Spain, we may still get periods of warm sunshine - in between the storms. And you’ll still be able to wear shorts and Tshirts!