What does Friday mean for Tenerife in practice?
On Friday 6 November, the state weather service AEMET forecasts cloud, little rain and mild temperatures for Tenerife. For Santa Cruz de Tenerife it gives a low of 20 degrees and a high of 24.
Light rain is possible mainly in the north-east of the island around midday, AEMET says. It gave no separate forecast for the southern resorts, so an umbrella in the bag does no harm.
In the morning, high cloud and low cloud banks merge into an overcast sky. Inland, temperatures can climb above 24 degrees, according to the forecast.
How strong are the wind and sea on Friday?
A weak southerly wind blows along the coasts on Friday, mostly as a breeze, says AEMET. On the summits a moderate westerly wind blows.
At sea, the weather service expects a south or south-westerly wind of force 2 to 4, at times force 5 in the far north-west. A north-westerly swell of 1 to 2 metres adds to it.
The daily forecast lists no warning for Tenerife. That holds for Friday.
Why does the weekend matter more than Friday?
On Thursday 5 November, AEMET issued a special bulletin on an Atlantic low deepening west of the Azores. From Friday morning it expects heavy rain in the west of the Canary Islands, strongest on La Palma.
The heavy rain may not stay on La Palma. AEMET does not rule it out for Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro on Friday.
From Saturday evening, 7 November, AEMET expects strong to very strong showers with thunderstorms in the west. On Sunday 8 November they move on to the other islands, so Tenerife may be affected too.
From Saturday evening into Sunday, AEMET also expects heavy seas, with local flooding possible in low-lying areas. It has not yet given rainfall in millimetres, wind speeds or wave heights for the weekend.
What should visitors and residents do now?
A colour-coded warning for Tenerife was not confirmed as of Thursday 5 November. AEMET has said it will update its information on Friday 6 November.
Check your beach, hiking and boat plans for Saturday evening and Sunday against the new AEMET warnings. For Friday itself, the service forecasts only light rain.
It is not confirmed whether the access restrictions to Teide because of ice and snow still apply. The Cabildo (island government) of Tenerife had announced no new closures as of Thursday.
Who decides on warnings, and what happens next?
AEMET issues the yellow and orange weather warnings. The Canary Islands government’s emergency authority (Dirección General de Emergencias) instead declares the regional levels of pre-alert, alert and maximum alert under the PEFMA emergency plan.
Once PEFMA is active, the Ayuntamientos (town halls) must activate their own emergency plans. A separate plan called PEINCA applies to areas at risk of flooding.
From Wednesday 11 November, AEMET expects the rain to lose strength. Heavy showers remain possible in the Canary Islands after that.
In its autumn outlook, AEMET gave a 60 to 70% probability of a warmer autumn from September to November. For rainfall it put the chance of drier than normal at 40%, though that signal is considered less certain.