Costa Teguise gets a year’s worth of rain in two hours

Lanzarote’s Cabildo yesterday declared a state of emergency after heavy rain caused severe flooding in Costa Teguise and Arrecife.

Photos: Murphy’s Irish Pub (https://www.facebook.com/MurphysPDC)

In the early afternoon of Saturday, Arrecife, Costa Teguise, Tahiche, Guatiza and other parts of eastern Lanzarote suffered the heaviest downpours they have experienced for several years.  Mud and rocks were swept onto roads, forcing the Guardia Civíl to briefly close the three access roads to Costa Teguise.

Many homes, hotels and businesses in Costa Teguise were left without electricity, and guests were evacuated from some hotels that had suffered severe flooding. Many bars and restaurants closed for the evening.

Emergency services were notified of over 220 incidents, mostly relating to flooded houses, garages or basements in Costa Teguise and Arrecife. They have been working throughout the night to clear roads and clean up after the intense floods.

The rain was the heaviest registered on the island for several years – in the Las Cucharas area of Costa Teguise, more rain (62.5 mms) was registered in the two hours of between 1 pm and 3pm than fell during the whole of 2024 or 2023.  Nevertheless, other parts of the island received only light showers or no rain at all.

The Canarian Government and the Cabildo have been criticised for the late announcement of the emergency, which was not declared until the floods were well under way. A pre-alert preparing emergency services for the possibility of heavy rain had been issued several hours before the storms, but no official alerts to the public were issued before the rains.

While there is a probability of light showers today, no further heavy rain is forecast, and emergency recommendations to avoid unnecessary journeys were lifted at 7 am this morning. However, we’d advise that people in Costa Teguise avoid bathing for a day or two owing to the amount of sediment, including sewage, that has been washed into the sea.