A RED weather alert has been issued for the Canary Islands this week ahead of the arrival of Storm Nuria.
State weather agency Aemet is warning of strong winds, rain and rough sea conditions in the archipelago from Wednesday.
The meteorologists use a traffic light system to warn of adverse weather – yellow, orange and red – with red being the most severe, indicating there is an extreme risk to life.
A red warning has now been issued for La Palma on Thursday, with gusts of up to 130km/hr expected.
In La Palma, the worst of the winds will affect the whole eastern side of the island between 5am and 5pm local time.
In Tenerife, an orange alert for strong winds will be active on the north of the island from 5am to 9.59pm on Thursday, with gusts expected to reach 90km/hr.
The rest of the island will be on a yellow alert over the same period, with winds of up to 70km/hr expected.
At the same time, Gran Canaria will be under a yellow advisory for strong gales of up to 70km/hr, affecting the east, south and west of the island.
Facing a more serious orange warning are the islets La Palma, Gomera and El Hierro, again from 5am Thursday until 9.59pm. Much like Tenerife they are also set to face 90km/hr gusts.
Yellow warnings for rain are also in place in El Hierro and La Gomera.
In Lanzarote, a holiday hotspot for Brits, a yellow warning for winds of up to 70km/hr will be in place between 3pm and 11.59pm Thursday.
