Travelers going to Spain over the Easter vacations should be ready for very weather as snow, rain and there are predictions of lightning storms hitting the area.
Storm Nelson is expected to keep bringing more problems to the Canary Islands over the Bank Holiday, which has already suffered from heavy rain and flooding in recent weeks.
The Spanish meteorological service AEMET, who named the storm, says it will be very important during Easter weekend, and it will ‘cause strong gusts of wind and rain in many parts of the region during a very important time such as Holy week.’
Several weather warnings- some of them are Status Orange – are currently in place across the islands, with ‘widespread rainfall’ and a ‘sharp drop in temperatures’ expected in the next few days.
Last weekend saw emergency services deal with 124 very bad weather incidents, after rockfall and landslides caused serious problems on major roads throughout the islands.
Icy conditions and snowfall also led to road closures, with Tenerife and La Palma experiencing the worst conditions. Roads in Tenerife are now open again, but council members are urging people to be careful when outside.
Some parts of the Canary Islands have had more rainfall over the weekend than they did in the whole winter season, according to local news reports. Tourists and residents have been advised to stay away from coastal areas and not to seek shelter under trees while the storms continue.
AEMET said today: ‘The influence of low Atlantic pressure and its fronts is expected on the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with a prevalence of cloudy skies and widespread rainfall, less likely on the southeastern coast.
‘They are likely to be more frequent in the northern third, particularly in the Pyrenees and western Galicia, where they could be locally strong or persistent. They may occasionally be accompanied by storms and hail.
‘In the Canary Islands, the remnants of the fronts will leave a prevalence of cloudy skies and precipitation, more common in the north of the mountainous islands and less likely in the south.
‘Temperatures will drop almost everywhere, especially in the northern part, except in the very east of the peninsula, where they will remain mostly the same.
‘Moderate winds with a westerly direction in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with strong gusts in coastal and mountain areas, as well as in the interior of the eastern third of the peninsula. In the Canary Islands, the wind will come from the north and will be strong in the western islands.’
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