Tenerife and Gran Canaria hit with ‘significant danger’ weather warnings
The Canary Islands are facing severe yellow and amber weather warnings as Storm Therese sweeps through the British holiday hotspots.
The Spanish weather forecaster, AEMET, has issued ‘significant danger’ amber weather warnings for rain and wind in the centre of Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria until 11.59pm tonight.
Holidays to the Spanish archipelago have been disrupted as dozens of flights have been axed during the week due to high winds reaching up to 75mph while events have been cancelled.
Snow also fell on the island earlier this week, leaving roads icy and treacherous as holidaymakers and locals tried to get around.
The majority of flights scheduled to depart from Tenerife South Airport on Friday left late, according to plane tracking website Flightradar24.
Roads have been shut as a precaution after snow and rainfall led to treacherous conditions.
Sabi Phagura, a travel journalist from the UK, arrived in Tenerife on Wednesday and into the eye of the storm.
She told Metro: ‘It was a bumpy ride from Gatwick. I was oblivious to the storm until as soon as I landed people were messaging me asking if I was okay.
‘It was lashing with rain overnight. When I looked out the palm trees were bend 60 degrees, almost 90 degrees in the wind.
‘I came here for the 75th birthday of the Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey hotel, but that had to be cancelled.
‘Roads were closed in some parts of the island, there were 6ft waves and rocks falling off mountains.’
Footage from the popular visitor attraction, the Teide National Park, showed a snow-covered mountain peak.
Some hikers braved the chilly conditions despite a warning that peaks above 5,900 feet would see significant snowfall.
The president of Tenerife, Rosa Davila, said on Thursday: ‘Starting today at 3pm, the island emergency response system is put into operation to prepare for an episode of adverse weather that will affect Tenerife over the coming days.’
The rough weather front is expected to last until early next week.
Last month, southern Spain and Portugal were left devastated by Storm Leonardo after heavy rain, flooding and landslides.
Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes in the wake of the storm, which brought ‘exceptional’ amounts of rain in just 24 hours.
At least two people died, including a woman who was swept into a swollen river while trying to rescue her dog.
What is the Canary Islands weather forecast for the next few days?
According to AEMET, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, there will be significant amounts of rain and wind across the islands.
It said there could be gusts of up to 90km/h or rain up to 100mm on the islands on Saturday. Around the coasts, there low danger yellow weather warnings of up to 50 km/h for wind.
On Sunday and Monday, the weather will ease off and drop down to 61 km/h for wind warnings and 15mm of rain for areas that are predicted to have rainfall. The yellow weather warnings are in place until Monday.
Will Storm Therese come to the UK?
While the storm continues to wreak havoc in the Canaries, the forecast in the UK looks rosy with dry weather and sunshine.
The Met Office said high pressure will dominate over the weekend in most of England and Wales, where temperatures will hover between 14 and 16°C.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to see more cloud and some rainfall.
What are my rights if my flight has been cancelled?
In the UK and EU, airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled. This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails, and, if they offer you a place to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline.
But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses.
If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. However, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
When am I eligible for this support?
Whether you’re eligible for the above depends on the distance of your flight and how long you have waited:
For short-haul (up to 1,500km over two hours or less), you must have been waiting for two hours or more.
For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours), it’s three hours or more.
For long-haul (more than 3,500km over four hours or more), it’s four hours or more.
Are you in Tenerife? Please email webnews@metro.co.uk
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