What applies on Tenerife for beaches and day trips?

Tenerife is on orange for wind until 14:00 on Wednesday 11 November, says AEMET. Gusts of up to 120 km/h are expected, locally above 130 km/h on summits and west coasts.

The sea stays orange too, with the warning for all coasts running until 13:00. AEMET expects westerly or south-westerly wind of force 7 to 8, which is 50 to 74 km/h.

Yellow applies only to rain, across the whole island until Thursday 12 November, 08:00. Up to 15 litres per square metre in an hour are possible, and AEMET does not rule out thunderstorms, mainly in the north.

Anyone planning something on Wednesday should avoid coastal paths, hiking trails and summit areas until the warnings expire. The south is no exception, as the wind warning covers the north, east, south and west of the island.

Has Tenerife been downgraded to yellow?

The AEMET bulletin does not mention a downgrade of the whole island to yellow. Yellow covers rain only, while wind and heavy seas remain orange.

By the warning times, the orange alerts expire at 13:00 and 14:00 on Wednesday. After that only the yellow rain warning remains on Tenerife, unless AEMET changes it.

The other islands stay on orange for wind, and La Palma even on red. For rain the whole archipelago is on yellow, with only La Palma on orange until 23:59.

What is happening on the other islands?

La Palma is on red for wind until 12:00, with gusts of up to 130 km/h, and on orange for rain until 23:59. Up to 30 litres per square metre in an hour are possible, mainly in Breña Baja, Breña Alta and Santa Cruz de La Palma, after which the warning turns yellow.

The sea off La Palma is on yellow until 12:00, with winds of force 7 to 8. Gran Canaria is on orange for wind until 18:00, with gusts of up to 100 km/h and above 110 km/h on the summits.

Northern Gran Canaria is also on orange for heavy seas until 12:00. Rain there is on yellow until Thursday at 12:00, with up to 15 litres per square metre in an hour and thunderstorms not ruled out.

La Gomera and El Hierro are on orange for wind until 18:00, with gusts of up to 100 km/h and more on the summits. Yellow applies to rain until Thursday at 05:00, with up to 20 litres per square metre in an hour, and to heavy seas until 12:00.

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are on orange for wind until 18:00, with gusts of up to 90 km/h, mainly on north and north-west slopes. Rain stays yellow until Thursday at 12:00, and AEMET names yellow seas until 18:00 for Lanzarote, but the report does not make clear whether this also applies to Fuerteventura.

Who decides on the warning levels and the emergency?

AEMET, the state weather service, assigns the warning colours but does not declare an emergency. That is the job of the Dirección General de Emergencias (the Canary Islands emergency authority), which relies on the AEMET forecast and other sources.

According to the regional broadcaster RTVC on 9 November, it has activated an “alerta por vientos” (wind alert) for the whole archipelago, valid since 18:00 on 10 November. The legal basis is the PEFMA emergency plan for severe weather, set out in Decreto 18/2014.

The plan has the levels prealerta (pre-alert), alerta (alert) and alerta máxima (maximum alert). They can apply to the whole archipelago, to single islands or to zones, and the authority can raise the level if the situation demands it.

How much rain is coming, and what has already happened?

For the whole event AEMET expected 80 to 100 litres per square metre on Tenerife and La Palma, locally above 150. For Gran Canaria, La Gomera and El Hierro it forecast 60 to 80 litres.

AEMET also warns of sudden flash floods in the barrancos (ravines). From Thursday the models show the rain easing gradually, but uncertainty remains high.

So far the 112 emergency line has reported numerous call-outs, mainly on La Palma and Tenerife. None was serious, and the report does not give the total number of call-outs.

Delays to flights and ferries are possible, and there are no confirmed figures on cancellations. Anyone flying or taking a ferry should check the status with the airline or the shipping company.

When do the warnings expire?

The red and orange warnings end on Wednesday 11 November between 12:00 and 23:59. The yellow rain warnings expire on Thursday 12 November between 05:00 and 12:00.

That leaves only rain on Thursday. AEMET can adjust the warnings again at any time and advises following the current bulletins on the official website.

The available reports do not say whether the emergency authority will keep its “alerta por vientos” beyond Wednesday. There are also no confirmed totals yet for damage, injuries and power cuts caused by Charles.