Heavy rain and flooding have hit the third-largest island in the Canaries, Gran Canaria, covering streets with mud, sweeping away cars and closing beaches.
By Tuesday evening, there were no longer any weather warnings in force in the Canary Islands. Earlier in the day, eastern, southern and western Gran Canaria was put under a “significant risk” orange weather warning, cautioning that 30mm of rain could accumulate in one hour.
Carnival season occurs between February and March in the Canary Islands. Several parades, dances and events are scheduled in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria during the current weather warning period.
The Santa Cruz Carnival suspended its performances on Monday afternoon due to the adverse weather conditions, however, the evening performances went ahead as planned.
Telde, one of the areas of Gran Canaria hit hardest by the rain, has seen residents join forces with emergency services to clean the streets, which have been coated in layers of mud following floods.
On Monday, eyewitness footage captured cars stranded on flooded streets, while one video saw a car being swept out to sea in fast-moving waters.
The harsh weather comes months after flooding devastated homes, communities and businesses in areas such as Valencia and Malaga due to a powerful storm in Spain.
In November, thousands of residents had to evacuate, flights were cancelled, train services were halted and roads were closed after flash flooding brought on by torrential rainstorms impacted the country. Over 200 people died as a result of the flooding.
Will my flight be cancelled?
On Tuesday, Gran Canaria’s airport closed due to water accumulation on the runways, however, one runway was back up and running within half an hour, Spain’s airport group Aena said.
By early afternoon, Gran Canaria Airport had both runways in operation and flight proceedings were running as planned.
Many arrivals due at the airport were diverted to Tenerife and Fuerteventura, while others eventually landed with a delayed arrival time, some landing hours after they were meant to.
Departures on Tuesday afternoon also were significantly delayed in taking off from Gran Canaria, while two flights were cancelled, data from FlightRadar shows.
By Wednesday morning, flights appeared to be running relatively smoothly.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, says: “Whatever the cause of a cancellation, and regardless of the amount of notice that is given, you can insist upon replacement transport: the airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible if that is what you want.”
“The UK Civil Aviation Authority says that means if a flight is available on the original day of travel, the passenger must be booked on it – even if it is on a rival carrier.”
However, cash compensation may not be available, as the airlines may claim the extreme weather means that “meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned”, which means that the cancellation was not the airline’s fault.
Where has it flooded in the Canary Islands?
On Monday afternoon, southern, eastern and western areas of Gran Canaria were under an orange weather alert due to a storm cell, producing 30mm of rainfall in one hour.
Videos of the town of Telde, Gran Canaria showed a car being swept out to sea by muddy floodwaters engulfing streets. Local Telde police said since Monday they have received calls about flooding in houses and other buildings, lifting of sewer manholes, and residents who could not leave their homes due to the flooding.
“Citizens are urged to take extreme caution, avoid travelling and pay attention to the official communication channels of the City Council to stay informed of any changes that may occur, as well as to follow the instructions given by the security forces and contact 112 in the event of any incident that requires it,” a Telde City Council spokesperson said Tuesday.
The council also said that it has closed access to its beaches due to danger risk after heavy rains.
La Garita, Hoya del Pozo, Playa del Hombre, El Barranquillo, Melenara, Salinetas and Eyes of Heron are affected by the restriction, until further notice.
Around 80 people were also waiting to leave a supermarket in Guimar, Tenerife after their cars became trapped in an underground car park that was flooded, Canarian Weekly reported.
Yellow warnings had been in place for much of the Canary Islands on Monday morning, while Aemet had warned on Saturday of widespread and abundant rainfall across the islands lasting until Wednesday.
Snow also started falling on Teide, Tenerife on Monday, with access to some roads closed due to ice patches.
Is more rain on the way?
Aemet said the rainfall would last until at least Wednesday 5 February. On Tuesday night at 10pm, the weather service reported that there are no longer any warnings in force in the Canary Islands.
What is the government travel advice?
As of Wednesday 5 March, the UK’s Foreign Office has not issued any travel warnings on the heavy rain and flooding in the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands Government updated the situation to a ‘pre-alert’ for rain starting 8pm on Tuesday 4 March for the entire archipelago. Gran Canaria had been under a rain ‘alert’ earlier that day, while the rest of the archipelago was still on a ‘pre-alert’.
It said there still could be local heavy precipitation, including snow on the peaks of La Palma and Tenerife, while showers are expected on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
The government also put the islands on a ‘pre-alert’ on Saturday in anticipation of the heavy downpour.
“The Canary Islands Government is carrying out this extraordinary monitoring of the weather situation due to the coincidence of the Carnival festivities, with events on the different islands that will bring together a large number of people on the public roads, both during the day and at night, although the forecasts do not include storms or wind in the coming days, only moderate rain that could be locally heavy on the islands of greater relief,” the government said on Saturday ahead of the heavy rainfall.
“General Directorate of Emergencies recommends that the population act with caution when travelling and doing outdoor activities and stay informed through official sources of possible changes in the weather situation and new warnings that may be issued by civil protection authorities,” it added.
During a period of heavy rain, the Canary Islands Government also advised to avoid driving and, if absolutely necessary, take extreme precautions, maintain a safe distance between vehicles, moderate speed and drive preferably on main roads or motorways, avoiding forest tracks or secondary roads.
Before making journeys, people are also advised to check the weather forecast and the state of the roads before making any journeys.
Can I cancel my holiday and get a refund?
As the Foreign Office has not warned against non-essential travel to Spain, there will be no special circumstances in place to be able to cancel a trip for a full refund.
The conditions for cancelling your trip will be dependent on your holiday provider, so it’s best to contact them if you’re looking to postpone.
There is no obligation for companies to refund bookings if you want to cancel, and you will not be able to claim travel insurance due to safety concerns unless the Foreign Office advice changes.
In terms of travel insurance, some policies include natural disaster cover for an event that prevents you from reaching your holiday destination. Check your insurance policies and speak to your insurer to see where you stand.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast