Storm Therese is battering the Canary Islands with winds of up to 100km/h
The Canary Islands are a popular holiday destination for Brits but warnings have been issued for stormy weather this week (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)
The arrival of Storm Therese in the Canary Islands has triggered a rare weather warning which remains in place until Sunday, March 22.
Aemet, Spain’s national meteorological agency, issued a special adverse weather warning on Wednesday afternoon as the storm brought strong winds and heavy rains to the archipelago. Yellow and amber weather warnings are in force across all of the islands with the western islands set to bear the brunt of the storm.
Winds of up to 100km/h are forecast in the mountainous areas of Tenerife and La Palma, while other islands could see gusts of up to 80km/h accompanied by heavy rain. Coastal warnings are in force across all of the islands with waves reaching five metres.
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Schools have been closed in the Canary Islands due to the storm, Canarian Weekly reports. Schools in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and Gran Canaria are closed today, while those in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura will close on Friday, with no in-person education taking place.
Weather warnings issued for the Canary Islands for March 19, 2026(Image: aemet.es)
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, more than 20 flights were cancelled at airports across the Canary Islands while several more were diverted. Most of them were inter-island flights. At El Hierro Airport, one flight arriving from Tenerife North was forced to turn back and return to its departure airport due to poor weather conditions.
Flights were also disrupted at La Palma Airport. A flight from Madrid was diverted to Tenerife South, while other incoming services from Frankfurt and Zurich were rerouted to Gran Canaria and Tenerife South, respectively, Canarian Weekly reports.
The special weather notice comes into effect today, March 19 and remains in place until Sunday 22. It warns that Storm Therese is set to bring “adverse weather to the Canary Islands over the next few days.”
Forecasting for today, the warning says: “The center of Storm Therese will be located northwest of the archipelago, resulting in a shift and intensification of the wind to the west and southwest. Gusts are expected to exceed 90 km/h in the summits, mid-altitude areas, and exposed slopes of the islands, and 70 km/h elsewhere.
“Coastal phenomena will also become widespread, with significant maritime storms and waves exceeding 5 meters in the west and south of La Palma, and on El Hierro. Regarding precipitation, a frontal system will cross the archipelago from west to east, bringing showers that could be heavy in the western islands and southern Gran Canaria, and persistent in the summits, mid-altitude areas, and southwest-facing slopes; thunderstorms are also possible. The snow level will drop to 1800-1900 meters, with significant accumulations expected on the peaks of La Palma and Tenerife.”
Heading into Friday, the storm is set to bring more rainfall to the eastern islands, while there will be more instability in the western islands “with showers that may be accompanied by thunderstorms”. Strong gusts and rough sea are still likely, and the “unstable weather” is set to continue into the weekend, although the wind should subside by Sunday.