Tom Ewart Smith
FLASH floods have unexpectedly hit the eastern Canary Islands over the weekend, with the devastating effects shared online.
The heavy rain wasn’t supposed to reach the eastern part so quickly, but Saturday brought a dramatic turn of events as intense downpours particularly impacted Lanzarote.
With little warning, Spain’s national weather agency, Aemet, issued a yellow weather alert for the entire island on Saturday, shortly after similar warnings had been put in place for northern Tenerife and its metropolitan area.
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Lanzarote bore the brunt, with rainfall far exceeding forecasts.
Consequently, images and videos show streets in several parts of the island submerged underwater, especially in the popular tourist areas of Arrecife and Teguise.
While Aemet’s alert officially ended at 5pm, the Canary Islands government has kept the island on pre-alert amid concerns that more rain could follow.
