Copernicus expects up to 20 µg/m³ PM10 in Santa Cruz de La Palma today (daily mean 15 µg/m³) and no more than 0 µg/m³ of Saharan dust. No calima tomorrow; on Saturday, light calima.
Copernicus forecast retrieved on 13 October 2026 at 08:10 (Canary time). Next update: 11:10.
Five Days on La Palma
Today13Wed14Thu15Fri16Sat17
Santa Cruz de La Palmano calima
15
26
28
24
34
Los Llanos de Aridaneno calima
13
24
28
22
33
no calimalight calimamoderate calimastrong calima
Colour = calima level, number = PM10 daily mean in µg/m³ per place. The island's level follows its most affected place.
Measured Now
San Antonio5
El Pilar4
La Grama3
Las Balsas1
Latest hourly PM10 values from the Canary Islands government's air-quality network, as of 08:00 (Canary time, provisional data). The stations stand mainly in towns and industrial areas, not on every beach. All readings on the Canary Islands government portal →
The Next 48 Hours in Santa Cruz de La Palma
050
1218Wed061218Thu
PM10 per hourSaharan dustEU limit 50 µg/m³ (daily mean)
The highest hourly value in the next 48 hours is 31 µg/m³ PM10 (Wednesday, 22:00), with Saharan dust reaching up to 11 µg/m³. The EU limit of 50 µg/m³ applies to the daily mean, not to single hours.
Day by Day on La Palma
Tuesday, 13 October
no calima
15µg/m³ · PM10 daily mean
PM10 max20 µg/m³
Saharan dust max0 µg/m³
PM2.5 max13 µg/m³
Aerosol (AOD) max0.17
UV index max5
Wednesday, 14 October
no calima
26µg/m³ · PM10 daily mean
PM10 max31 µg/m³
Saharan dust max13 µg/m³
PM2.5 max16 µg/m³
Aerosol (AOD) max0.20
UV index max7
Thursday, 15 October
no calima
28µg/m³ · PM10 daily mean
PM10 max30 µg/m³
Saharan dust max14 µg/m³
PM2.5 max16 µg/m³
Aerosol (AOD) max0.22
UV index max6
Friday, 16 October
no calima
24µg/m³ · PM10 daily mean
PM10 max27 µg/m³
Saharan dust max14 µg/m³
PM2.5 max14 µg/m³
Aerosol (AOD) max0.24
UV index max7
Saturday, 17 October
light calima
34µg/m³ · PM10 daily mean
PM10 max41 µg/m³
Saharan dust max35 µg/m³
PM2.5 max16 µg/m³
Aerosol (AOD) max0.21
UV index max6
Forecast until 13:00
Official AEMET Warnings
AEMET, Spain's weather agency, has no warning for dust or poor visibility in force for La Palma (as of 08:10). Its warnings are authoritative; this page does not replace them.
Today's forecast shows no calima on La Palma, so no special precautions are needed. The advice below applies as soon as the level rises to light or higher.
Asthma, Heart and Lungs
People with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease are in the risk group during calima. The Canary Islands health authority advises them to stay indoors while dust is in the air and to call 112 if breathing problems get worse.
Children and Older People
Children and older people are also among the sensitive groups. During calima they should stay indoors where possible, keep doors and windows closed and drink enough water.
Outdoor Sport
During calima the health authority advises everyone to avoid exertion outdoors. Move your run, ride or hike to a day without calima, or take it indoors.
Windows and Home
Keep windows and doors closed during calima and air your home only once the forecast is back to “no calima”. Wipe dust off furniture and floors with a damp cloth so it does not swirl up again.
Terrace, Pool and Car
Clean the terrace, pool and car once the calima has passed, or fresh dust will settle again. Rinse the dust off with water rather than sweeping it dry.
At the Beach
Beach flags and local council notices apply. During calima, long hours in the sun and sport on the beach are a poor idea: drink plenty and take breaks in the shade.
Flights
Strong calima can reduce visibility enough to delay or divert flights. Before you set off for the airport, check your flight status with your airline or with Aena.
The health advice follows the Dirección General de Salud Pública of the Servicio Canario de la Salud (Gobierno de Canarias). It does not replace medical advice; in case of breathing difficulties, call 112. Health authority advice (in Spanish) →
Colour = calima level, number = PM10 daily mean in µg/m³ at the island's most affected place. Tap or click an island to open its page with the 48-hour outlook.
No. Copernicus expects up to 20 µg/m³ PM10 in Santa Cruz de La Palma today (daily mean 15 µg/m³) and no more than 0 µg/m³ of Saharan dust. The EU limit is a daily mean of 50 µg/m³. The Canary Islands government's monitoring network last measured no more than 5 µg/m³ PM10 (San Antonio, 08:00).
What will the air be like on La Palma in the coming days?
The forecast to Saturday: no calima today (15 µg/m³); no calima tomorrow (26 µg/m³); no calima on Thursday (28 µg/m³); no calima on Friday (24 µg/m³); light calima on Saturday (34 µg/m³). Each figure is the PM10 daily mean at the island's most affected place.
When should I close the windows on La Palma?
The Canary Islands health authority advises keeping windows and doors closed during calima. Today's forecast shows no calima on La Palma, so airing your home is no problem as far as calima is concerned.
Is there an AEMET warning for La Palma?
No. AEMET, Spain's weather agency, currently has no warning for dust or poor visibility in force for La Palma (as of 08:10). Its warnings are authoritative and published on aemet.es.
How This Forecast Works
The values come from the forecast of the EU's Copernicus programme (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, CAMS), retrieved via Open-Meteo. On La Palma we use Santa Cruz de La Palma and Los Llanos de Aridane; the island's level is the highest value of these places.
A day's level follows the higher of two values: the daily mean of PM10 particulate matter and the highest hourly value of Saharan dust near the ground. If the model shows less than 10 µg/m³ of Saharan dust, the day counts as calima-free, because higher PM10 values then mostly come from other sources such as sea salt.
no calimaPM10 below 35 µg/m³ and Saharan dust below 30 µg/m³
light calimaPM10 35–49 µg/m³ or Saharan dust 30–79 µg/m³
moderate calimaPM10 50–99 µg/m³ (above the EU daily limit) or Saharan dust 80–199 µg/m³
strong calimaPM10 from 100 µg/m³ (twice the EU limit) or Saharan dust from 200 µg/m³
The EU limit for PM10 is a daily mean of 50 µg/m³ (Directive 2008/50/EC), and since 2021 the World Health Organization has recommended no more than 45 µg/m³ as a daily mean. These are model values for grid cells about 45 kilometres wide, not measurements; the readings of the Canary Islands government's air-quality network appear under “Measured Now”.
The page is updated six times a day, at 05:10, 08:10, 11:10, 14:10, 17:10 and 20:10 (Canary time). Copernicus runs its model twice a day; each new run appears at the next refresh. If the data source fails, the last complete forecast stays online with its own time stamp.
