Lanzarote’s saw four storms arrive this winter

This winter has been wetter than usual, with the arrival of four storms from the north being the most remarkable phenomenon, according to Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET

Presenting the seasonal summary and outlook yesterday, David Suárez, the Canarian delegate for AEMET, described a season of contrasts, with a particularly cold start marked by four storms, and a warmer-than-normal February, with episodes of calima.

Suarez said that overall, temperatures on the archipelago had been “normal”, with an average winter temperature of 15.4 degrees Celsius, just 0.2 degrees above normal. He pointed out that the island had had several warm winters in a row before this one.

The most notable aspect of the winter weather was the arrival of four storms from the north. On the Canaries, storms usually arrive from the ocean to the south east, but this year has seen a higher number than usual of high-level depressions and cut-off lows bringing rainfall from the north Atlantic. Suárez suggested that this could be related to climate change, and said “it has been a very active winter from the point of view of atmospheric circulation.”

Cooler and wetter weather in December and January was followed by a warmer February than average, with the rise in temperatures associated with episodes of calima.

Suárez predicted a decrease in the frequency of calima-related events in the near future, and a “warm and dry spring”.