August 2023 has been the warmest and most humid in the Canary Islands since 1961, with an average temperature of 25.4ºC, which is to say 2.3º higher than the usual average temperatures expected for this time of year. There was an average of 2.6 mm of rainfall, which is more than double (124% higher) than would normally be expected. These data over this past month show the region to have been extremely warm and very humid, according to the climatological report by the Canary Islands branch of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). A warmer than usual autumn is also predicted, leading to a higher likelihood of stronger rainfall than the expected averages.
The highest temperature recorded in all of August in the Canary Islands, one of the highest in Spain, was 46.2ºC at the Tacorón-Lapillas weather station in El Hierro on August 12th. On the same day, temperatures reached 45.8ºC in Tasarte (Gran Canaria), and the following day, it was 43.9ºC in Las Mercedes-Llano de los Loros (Tenerife).
On La Gomera, the highest temperature recorded was 42.8ºC at the airport on August 12th;
on La Palma, it reached 42.7ºC at the Mirador del Time on August 11th and 12th;
on Fuerteventura, temperatures reached 42.6 ºC at the Morro Jable port on August 12th;
on Lanzarote, it was 40.5 ºC at the airport on August 13th;
and on La Graciosa, it reached 31.8 ºC at the heliport on August 13th.
AEMET’s climatological report also notes that at several locations across the archipelago, every night in August was classified as “tropical,” meaning temperatures did not drop below 20ºC.
The number of tropical nights also significantly increased compared to July. Out of 98 operational automatic weather stations in August, 96 (97.96%) recorded at least one tropical night. Among them, 63 (64.29%) had minimum temperatures equal to or above 25 ºC on at least one day, and finally, 16 (16.33%) had minimum temperatures equal to or above 30 ºC at least once.
One notable station, located at an altitude of 1,060 meters in Tejeda (Gran Canaria), recorded minimum temperatures equal to or above 25 ºC for 14 days out of the month.
The lowest temperatures recorded in August in the Canary Islands, categorised by altitude, were as low as 8.5ºC at Parados de Las Cañadas, 2,150 meters above sea level; followed by 9.6ºC in Aguamansa, La Orotava, at 1,065 meters; 9.1ºC in Ravelo (El Sauzal), at 922 meters; and 17.9 ºC in Vallehermoso-La Dama, at 119 meters.
There were two episodes of heatwave last month, the first, which was the most intense, occurred between August 10th and 14th, and the second from August 20th to 25th, with a slight decrease on the 25th and a resurgence on the 26th.
