Canary Islands under alert for high temperatures and calima over the next several days

The Government of the Canary Islands declared a situation of maximum alert due to the risk of forest fires in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and Gran Canaria from 00:00 on August 10, due to the extremely high temperatures expected.

The current heat wave is expected to affect the entire archipelago. An African air mass began to affect the Canary Islands starting yesterday, Wednesday, August 9 and it will continue to persist for several days. As a consequence, there will be a significant rise in temperatures with values ​​that will reach 40º or more. Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th will most likely be the hottest days of the episode.

Aemet issued warnings for maximum temperatures of 40 ºC in the peaks and south of Gran Canaria and maximums of 38 ºC in the interior, south and west of the rest of the islands, and 36 ºC on the northern slopes of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and east of La Palma. There's also a warning for calima throughout the archipelago, mainly in the midlands and peaks.