Gran Canaria is under maximum alert for high temperatures and forest fire risk since Monday at 11 AM. The island has exceeded 40 degrees for several consecutive days, reaching 44.3 degrees in Tasarte (La Aldea) on Sunday, the highest recorded temperature in all of Spain. Nights have also been suffocating, with 34.2 degrees measured at midnight in San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
Vigilance is intensifying following a "prolonged episode of high temperatures," particularly affecting the Tejeda basin and the southeastern and western midlands of Gran Canaria, where temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees again. The rest of the archipelago remains on heat alert, and the western islands also face the threat of forest fires.
The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) recorded 44.3 degrees in Tasarte on Sunday. Other areas like Lomo Pedro Alfonso (San Bartolomé) reached 41.5 degrees, and Agüimes, 40.6 degrees. In the northwest, Agaete registered 34.7 degrees and strong wind gusts of up to 73 kilometers per hour.
Residents in municipalities in the southeast, south, and interior of the island have experienced difficult nights trying to sleep without air conditioning. The El Matorral station in San Bartolomé de Tirajana marked 34.2 degrees at 8 AM on Sunday, and 33.7 degrees at midnight in Lomo Pedro Afonso.
The situation follows Saturday's record of 42.2 degrees in Agüimes, the highest temperature in the Canary Islands that day. The Agency forecasts little change for Monday, with very high temperatures and strong northeasterly winds expected in the southeastern and western slopes of Gran Canaria and La Gomera. The persistence of Saharan dust (calima) at altitude is anticipated.
