The Cabildo de Gran Canaria have issued warnings ahead of our second snowstorm to reach the island in a week, expected tomorrow, Wednesday, with snowfall likely at altitudes as low as 1,300 meters,  hail and frost are also very likely well below the snow line, with conditions expected to worsen due to the strong north winds announced by Spanish State Meteorological Agency AEMET, gusting up to 90 kilometers per hour, which could well lead to falling trees and possible landslides.

The Cabildo has warned that they will try to keep routes open around the summit, but only under the strictest safety parameters with a primary aim of facilitating the passage of residents, workers and people who must attend to their animals (those who have legitimate reasons to go up to the summits or special needs can call the 112 Canary Islands Emergency Coordination Centre or the Centro de Coordinación Operativa Insular Cecopin on 928 353 443), as well as keeping roads open for the emergency services, security and maintenance teams, and NOT for those who simply want to visit the area in this phase of the storm, they stressed that routes will re-open for the public to enjoy the wintry scenes as soon as is safe, but only after the passage of the snowstorm.

The adverse conditions are expected to be more complex than last weeks, and any influx of visitors would only serve to increase the risks and further complicate emergency management, so everyone must wait for the worst of the storm to pass.

Gran Canaria Cabildo’s number 1 priority is to safeguard the security of the population, and that also includes rescue personnel.

This storm will be the second such recent episode and likely to last several days, so the cabildo is preparing information for the general population to ensure vehicles that require access to the top are properly prepared with winter tires and snow chains, among other preparations.

More than 500 people are involved in the operation to secure the summits and the authorities are strongly requesting the cooperation of the general public, asking everyone to avoid the highest points on Gran Canaria until the situation is declared safe and manageable.

The Cabildo de Gran Canaria will keep the population as informed as possible, announcing incidents through local media, which are an essential part of the operation during emergencies with attention established by the official Emergency Plan for those responsible to monitor official institutional channels including @GranCanariaGC and @CarreterasGC. The Cabildo de Gran Canaria will also offer images through its networks to communicate to the population the extent of the difficulties expected for traveling through affected areas.

Finally the Cabildo has urged members of the public not to try travelling through snowbound areas on foot because of the real and present danger of hypothermia, especially for the very young and the elderly.

… meanwhile, elsewhere, we can expect heavy rain on the north of the island and down the east and west but the south of GranCanaria looks likely to miss out on most of the wet weather, with the distinct possibility of blue skies and sunshine continuing as ever in the tourist resorts! We’ll see…