Warning to UK tourists in Canary Islands as government declares 'pre-alert situation'

The government of the Canary Islands has declared a 'pre-alert situation' for La Palma, Tenerife and Lanzarote after Spain's national weather agency Aemet issued several yellow weather warnings for the Spanish islands.

UK holidaymakers in the Canary Islands have been warned to brace themselves for heavy rain and potential thunderstorms today (October 16). The Canary Islands government has issued a 'pre-alert situation' for La Palma, Tenerife and Lanzarote following several yellow weather warnings from Spain's national weather agency Aemet.

The pre-alert for rain was activated at 9am local time this morning, based on forecasts by Aemet and the Specific Emergency Plan of the Canary Islands for Risks of Adverse Meteorological Phenomena (PEFMA).

This comes as La Palma is expected to see 15mm or more rain fall within an hour; the north, east and southeast of Tenerife and in Lanzarote are also set to be affected. Up to 60 mm of rainfall in 12 hours is "likely" in La Palma and Tenerife, with 40mm forecast in Lanzarote, the M.E.N reports.

Both residents and tourists are being urged to heed the government's advice for heavy rainfall, which includes avoiding camping in flood-prone areas, refraining from driving in heavy rain, not crossing bridges where water levels are rising, and following instructions issued via the media.

More guidance can be found on the Canary Islands government website here.

Aemet's forecast for the Canary Islands on Tuesday details: "Occasional or persistent rain may occur in the west of La Palma and from the afternoon on in Lanzarote and in the north and east of Tenerife. Some thunderstorms are not ruled out, mainly in the north of La Palma and Lanzarote.

"Temperatures will rise slightly, with maximum temperatures possibly being moderate in inland areas. Moderate westerly winds, with a predominance of westerly winds, with strong intervals, in the western islands and southwesterly winds in the eastern islands."

Weather alerts for rain are still active until Wednesday midday for east La Palma, north Tenerife and Lanzarote. As of now, there are no weather warnings issued for the Canary Islands on Thursday.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here .

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.