A pre-alert was being declared on Tuesday, due to a potential risk of forest fires on the island of Gran Canaria, as the well-known 30-30-30 guideline was being applied in readiness should the authorities need to activate the PEFMA (Plan Específico por Fenómenos Meteorológicos Adversos) “specific plan for adverse meteorological phenomena” following warnings of rising temperatures and strong winds from Spanish Meteorological Agency AEMET.
Temperatures are expected that to reach 34ºC in the shade this Wednesday, on the southern and western sides of the island, with winds gusting up to around 72 km/hr, and humidity levels of less than 30% above 700 metres altitude, this year so far having seen an annual rain deficit of 53% below what would be usually expected.
The pre-alert was reportedly activated on Tuesday, though is likely to be deactivated again by the end of Wednesday.
Temperatures this week
The a priori declaration was based on rising daytime temperatures across the south and west of Gran Canaria this Tuesday, which are now expected to drop back towards seasonal averages from Thursday, and for the next few days, and throughout the weekend, remain stable around 32ºC in the shade across the main southern resort areas. Night time temperatures should be maintained at a very pleasant 21ºC, very normal for this time of year.
Coastal phenomena and Calima haze
An AEMET yellow advisory for coastal phenomena was also issued for the east, south and west of Gran Canaria and neighbouring Tenerife, for most of Wednesday.
Northeast winds bringing waves of up to 7 meters to the channel between Gran Canaria and Tenerife, especially towards the southern part.
And high altitude Calima haze will trap some of the heat, especially in the eastern part of the archipelago, though it is expected to be gone again by Thursday.
All in all a lovely balmy feel across the whole island as we head towards the weekend, particularly sunny, as ever, along the southern coastlines, though a touch more cloud cover is expected all across the north and in the capital Las Palmas, with temperatures slightly lower, in the mid 20s
In the main resort areas of Mogán and Maspalomas we can expect light coastal breezes, though the seas may be a touch choppy at times, in general, beautiful beach weather, with maximum sunshine and the ultraviolet index hitting 12 for most of the weekend.
Remember temperatures here are always measured in the shade, and so are likely to be 5º hotter or more in direct sunlight. Make sure you’ve got plenty of shade and protection and you keep hydrated.
