Heavy rains expected across Canary Islands as storm Olivier approaches

The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has issued a weather notice warning of widespread and heavy rainfall in the Canary Islands this week due to the arrival of Storm Olivier.

The storm, which is forecast to become isolated in the region, is expected to bring significant rainfall across the islands on Wednesday, April 9, and Thursday, April 10. AEMET officially named the storm “Olivier” and has urged residents and visitors to monitor the situation closely.

On Tuesday, a weakening weather front is expected to bring light to moderate showers to the western islands. During the early hours of Wednesday, the approach of Storm Olivier will reactivate the remnants of this front, increasing the likelihood of moderate to heavy rainfall in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, particularly during the night. Central hours of the day may see rainfall extend to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Later on Wednesday, a frontal system associated with Olivier is forecast to sweep across the islands from west to east, bringing heavy to very heavy rainfall to the western islands. These conditions will spread across the rest of the archipelago by Thursday morning, potentially accompanied by thunderstorms. A cold front associated with the system could also produce occasional strong to very strong wind gusts from the southwest, especially in the western islands.

Rainfall is expected to continue through the second half of Thursday and into the weekend, although it is likely to become less intense, ranging from weak to moderate.

AEMET advises that unless there are significant changes in the forecast, no further updates will be issued.