What applies to walkers and visitors on La Palma?

The Dirección General de Emergencias, the Canary Islands government's emergency authority, declared an alerta for rain on La Palma on Wednesday 11 November, from 11:30. A second alerta for flood risk followed from 12:30.

The authority advises against crossing barrancos or riverbeds with water in them. It also asks people to avoid unnecessary trips through flood-prone areas and to follow the instructions of the authorities and emergency services.

Walking routes carry risk too, because rain can loosen rocks without warning, the authority says. It names paths on steep slopes and in narrow, deeply cut barrancos as danger spots.

Drivers should not stop or shelter beneath cliffs or unstable embankments. Slopes steeper than 60 degrees count as unstable, as do the roads below them.

Where and when is the heaviest rain expected on La Palma?

For the east and the summit areas, the authority forecast up to 100 mm of rain in 12 hours, until 18:00 on 11 November. Breña Baja, Breña Alta, Santa Cruz de La Palma and the north of the Caldera de Taburiente were expected to be hit hardest.

Up to 30 mm an hour was possible across the whole island, perhaps until 00:00 on Thursday 12 November. From 18:00 the authority forecast up to 60 mm in 12 hours for the east, the summits and the west.

A front moves from north-west to south-east and reaches La Palma first, bringing about two hours of intense rain. After that the rain should ease, though lighter showers remain possible.

The warning contains no separate forecast for the south of the island. The totals for the east, summits and west therefore do not automatically apply to the holiday resorts there, but the alerta covers the whole island.

Which ravines are most at risk?

The authority is paying particular attention to the Caldera de Taburiente basin and the Barranco de Las Angustias. Its lower course and mouth lie in the municipality of Tazacorte, where the warning expects impacts.

Water runs down from the highlands and gathers as it flows downhill. The authority therefore warns that flash floods can hit areas below the heaviest rain, above all lower courses and mouths.

There is also a prealerta for landslides on El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife, La Gomera and Gran Canaria. The PLATECA plan, the Canary Islands civil protection plan, is activated at this level to track possible damage to roads and homes.

The authority advises clearing drainage channels on slopes. If new cracks appear in a building, it should be evacuated as a precaution, and even small rockfalls count as a sign of bigger ones to come.

What applies on the other islands?

El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were on prealerta for rain and flooding. Rain was due to last into the night of 12 November on Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro.

On Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, rain was possible until Thursday morning. Across the rest of the archipelago the authority forecast up to 15 mm an hour and did not rule out thunderstorms, especially on the easternmost islands and in northern Tenerife.

For wind, La Palma and the Tenerife summit areas were on alerta, while the warning stayed in place on the other islands. Gusts were due to ease from late afternoon on 11 November.

Forecasts ranged from 70 km/h or more on La Palma and Tenerife to 100 km/h or more on El Hierro and La Gomera. The coasts of all islands were on alerta.

How did earlier alerts on La Palma unfold?

On 1 October 2026 the emergency authority raised La Palma from prealerta to alerta for the north and east. AEMET, the state weather service, issued an orange warning for the east, with up to 150 l/m² in 12 hours.

In November 2024 La Palma was already on alerta, with prealerta for the rest of the islands. In March 2025 an alerta followed for the east, after the authority expected showers of 30 mm or more in an hour.

This is a list of episodes, not a statistic, because there are no official comparison figures across the years. Still, the east of the island keeps ending up at the centre of the warnings.

On 2 November 2026 La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera were on alerta for rain. The emergency line CECOES 112 handled almost 100 incidents, and a power cut across all of La Palma was fixed at 10:30.

What remains unclear, and what comes next?

The warning levels above reflect the situation on the afternoon of 11 November and were partly out of date by 12 November. It is not confirmed whether the alerta on La Palma has been lifted.

There is no confirmed information on damage, road closures, schools, or air and ferry services. Anyone travelling or planning an outing should check with their airline, ferry operator or tour provider.

AEMET expected the rain to ease gradually on Thursday 12 November. The weather service admitted uncertainty over the storm's track and intensity.

In heavy rain the authority advises against driving where possible and never parking in barrancos, even under a clear sky. In an emergency call 112, and call 012 for information.