UK tourists warned of dust clouds in Canary Islands as alert issued

Holidaymakers in the Canary Islands have been warned of ‘dust clouds’ in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria today. It will be particularly bad in Lanzarote where a yellow warning for ‘calima’ has been issued.

The warning is in place from midday to 8pm on Thursday with visibility expected to be reduced to 3,000m. Calima is a phenomenon where hot air from the Sahara blows into the Canary Islands, bringing with it desert sand and dust.

It can create an orange, hazy glow in the sky and if combined with precipitation, can create ‘mud rain’. During calimas, vulnerable people are advised to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut.

READ MORE: UK tourists issued ‘clear message’ by residents in Canary Islands

Forecasting for Thursday, October 24, Aemet said: “In the north of the mountainous islands, cloudy intervals with predominantly partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. In the rest of the areas, partly cloudy with intervals in the north of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in the early and late hours.

“A likely haze in the easternmost islands and in the midlands of Gran Canaria. Minimum temperatures with few changes and maximum temperatures slightly rising in general, more pronounced in the midlands and inland areas. Northeasterly wind, stronger in low areas of the southeast and northwest, and increasing at the end of the day. In the peaks, generally light wind from the south.”

The Calima is expected to last until the first half of Friday, “affecting the eastern islands”. By Saturday it’s expected to clear.

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