Sandstorm of unprecedented strength hit the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands last weekend was covered by a sandstorm from the Sahara, which is located 500 km east of the islands. As EcoTourism Expert came to know, flights from the Canary Islands have been suspended since Saturday due to Kalima (wind from the Sahara desert) of extraordinary power. Fuerteventura located near the African continent, where visibility did not exceed 30 meters, was particularly affected. Gran Canaria was also affected.

According to local residents, due to the strong wind off the coast of Tenerife, the two largest ferries, Armas and Fred Olsen, collided. All the water transport in the Canary Islands was cancelled. Airports were crowded with passengers due flights cancellations. Everything around was covered with a thick layer of sand. The situation was aggravated by the fact that on the island of Gran Canaria forest burst out, about a thousand people were evacuated.

The wind began last Thursday, February 20, and the storm hit the islands. On the eve of February 19, the authorities in the Canary Islands issued a warning of possible gusts of wind up to 100 km per hour. But the reality exceeded the expectations. The National Weather Service of Spain stated that the wind reached 120 km / h. A storm began at the sea. As a result of a strong wind, the roofs of houses were damaged, and trees were torn out. On Sunday, February 23, due to poor visibility, all flights were canceled or redirected to other airports.

On Monday, February 24, difficulties with air traffic remained. Almost all flights on arrival were delayed at the Fuerteventura Airport. Today, the single operator of Spanish airports, Aena, has announced the resumption of flights to all airports in the Canary Islands.

Moreover, Spanish law enforcement agencies quarantined at least thousand guests of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in the south of Tenerife, where a tourist from Italy was diagnosed with a coronavirus.

A sandstorm, which according to the evidence of local residents, the worst sandstorm since 2002, is visible from space. Satellite images on the eve showed how it covered the islands off the coast of northwest Africa. Today, the Canaries are overcast. According to the forecast of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), rains are possible on the western islands of the archipelago. The storm will continue. Wind power has significantly reduced compared to previous days. It is expected that the intensity of the storm will decrease during the day.

The storm hits the Canary Islands regularly. Locals fear that the trade winds will disappear into oblivion - constant winds blowing from the tropics towards the equator, thanks to which the Canary Islands has a subtropical climate with a constant temperature level. According to the residents of the island, the heat is growing, at night a cold, dry wind, like a desert wind, blows, and the strength of the storm increases.

In Fuerteventura, the weather has stabilised this afternoon. Hot weather settled at + 29C.