The Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies, declared an Alert for Snowfall expected on Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma as of 6:00 p.m. on Thursday February 4.

The snow alert was declared based on the latest data and information provided by the Spanish State Meteorological Agency AEMET combined with other available sources, leading the Regional Government to activate their PEFMA Canary Islands Specific Emergency Plan for Risks of Adverse Meteorological Phenomena.

 

 

Observations: Probable precipitations in the form of snow in higher inland areas and summits above about 1500 meters altitude on Thursday. During the early hours of Friday morning, the snow level could drop as low as 1300 – 1400 meters. Snow is expected to accumulate on ground above 1600 – 1800 m.

As a reference, Ayacata ( just below Roque Nublo ) which is located in the center of Gran Canaria is at an altitude of 1300 metres above sea level. Pico de las Nieves, one of the main tourist sight seeing points in the Gran Canaria mountains is 1949 m above sea level. 

There is also a pre-alert for storms for the whole autonomous region as well as a pre-alert for wind on Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera

The Cabildo of Gran Canaria has announced that they will close off roads to the summits as we are expecting a short period of intense snowfall on Gran Canaria
The summits including access roads and recreational and camping areas are all closed above the 1,400-meter elevation.

The authorities have requested that the general public avoid the higher altitude inland areas, and give the road clearance and emergency services time to ensure that higher zones can be accessed safely in a couple of days time.