British tourist hotspot hit with SNOW as Storm Therese batters Spain

Peter Stevens
Fri, 20 Mar 2026 03:51:06 +0000

A British holiday hotspot has been covered in snow as it wrestles with the wrath of Storm Therese.

Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, remains under orange alert after days of rainfall and high winds.

The Spanish island receives 2.8 million visitors annually, and hosts one of the largest carnivals in the world Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

And while anti-tourist protests broke out in Tenerife last week urging holidaymakers to stay away, British tourists may think twice with at least five days of unseasonable weather set to strike.

Footage from the Teide National Park shows whitened mountain tops, blanketed by snow.

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Significant snowfall is expected above 1,800-2,000 metres.

The weather has disrupted travel, causing at least seven flights on Thursday to be cancelled or diverted across the Canary Islands.

Strong rain and wind will not let up until Saturday, with Friday expected to be the worst of the storm.

Across La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera and southern Tenerife, up to 100 milimetres of rain is expected in 12 hours.

Isolated thunderstorms and hail are possible on Friday.

Yesterday, 26 flights were cancelled, stranding hundreds of tourists.

Active weather warnings have been in place since Wednesday for heavy rain, storms, flooding, wind, and high waves.

Wind gusts are expected to reach above 74 miles per hours in some areas.

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The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) said some areas could experience more than a year's worth of rain.

While the Canary Islands Government closed some nursery schools and day care centres on Thursday as a response to the hazardous weather.

Some preschools will remain closed on Friday in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

More than three inches of rain per square metre is expected to fall across the Canary Islands on Thursday, with the area of west of La Palma and island of El Hierro placed under orange alert for coastal phenomena.

Waves in the two areas are expected to reach five to six metres.

Tourists and locals alike have been told to avoid unnecessary travel as a result of Storm Therese.

As of Wednesday, any sporting activity in the natural environment was restricted.

This includes hiking, camping, canyoning, climbing, walking off route, driving on forest tracks, and any other leisure or sporting activity.