40°C by day, 32.5°C at night
These were days when the south of Gran Canaria stood deserted at midday. In Tunte and the Tirajana basin the thermometer climbed above 40 degrees, and in Tejeda too. The nights brought no respite: in Agaete the state weather agency AEMET registered 32.5 degrees at 3.40 in the morning. The second heatwave of summer 2026 has asked a great deal of the Canaries. Now it is ending.
What defined this heatwave
The trigger was a mass of hot, dry continental air from Africa, accompanied by light Calima at altitude. Added to this was a low-lying inversion layer — on Gran Canaria at around 400 metres — which held the heat in like a lid and dried out the vegetation.
AEMET raised the warning level for Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura to orange (significant danger), at times also for Tenerife's metropolitan area; the other islands stood at yellow. Worst affected were the medianías and higher ground facing south, east and west.
In many places the islands experienced what meteorologists call «tropical nights» — minimums above 20 degrees — and in the hottest zones even «torrid nights» with readings above 25. In Tejeda the thermometer did not fall below 25 degrees all night. Such nights are more than an inconvenience: they prevent the body from recovering and pose a health risk to the elderly, children and the chronically ill.
The authorities responded
The Canarian government activated its maximum-temperature alert levels through the Dirección General de Emergencias. The Cabildo of Tenerife extended its extraordinary wildfire-prevention measures across the entire risk area: no open fires, no barbecues or gas stoves, and a smoking ban on hiking trails, at rest areas and in woodland. On Gran Canaria, too, the wildfire warning remained in force.
The turn: a trough from the Atlantic
Now a so-called vaguada atlántica — a trough of cooler air moving in from the Atlantic — is bringing the change. It steers a fresher air mass over the archipelago, and temperatures are falling across the board, both maximums and minimums.
AEMET spokesman Rubén del Campo had named Friday as the turning point. His framing matters: it will not turn cold. What returns is the «normal July» — summer heat, but markedly more bearable than the extremes of recent days. In the north of the islands cloud fields remain, while southern and inland areas should still reach around 30 degrees.
According to the report by Canarias7, AEMET is standing down the warnings for the archipelago as temperatures fall.
Important: check the warning status
Weather warnings can change at short notice. What is binding is always the current status from the state weather agency AEMET at aemet.es, together with the information from the Canarian emergency authorities. Anyone planning to hike or head into the mountains should also observe the wildfire regulations in force from the relevant Cabildo.
And afterwards?
The end of this episode is no reason for complacency. AEMET expressly does not rule out further heat episodes in the coming weeks; the models see an increased probability of above-average warmth in the Canaries for the summer of 2026. This was already the season's second heatwave.
For the moment, though, the islands can breathe out — and step outside at midday again in Tejeda, Tunte and Agüimes.
Good to know: what helps in the heat
During heatwaves the Canarian health authorities recommend the usual precautions: drink plenty of water, even without feeling thirsty; spend the midday hours in the shade or in cool rooms; wear light, pale clothing; move physical exertion to the early morning or late evening. Particular attention should be paid to the elderly, small children and the chronically ill — they suffer most under tropical nights.