The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has announced that last month experienced the hottest April in the history of the Canary Islands. The average of the 30 days was "extremely warm" and nothing like it had been recorded since data began to be recorded in 1961. This is stated in its climatological advance of the Canary Islands on the month of April 2024.
Specifically, the archipelago recorded an anomaly of 2.7 degrees in the average temperature of the islands and 2.5 in the province of Las Palmas. The eastern islands reached an average of 20.4 degrees, being the warmest recorded to date.
The greatest mismatch occurred in the maximums, with an increase of 3.2 degrees in the province of Las Palmas and 3.4 in the regional average. The maximum remained around 24.7 degrees, also the warmest in its history.
As for the minimum temperature, it was the second warmest recorded since 1961, exceeding 1.8 degrees of mismatch and 2.1 in the regional average. In this case, it is the second warmest since 1961.
Tropical nights
The temperature mismatch can also be measured by the number of tropical nights, that is, those above 20 degrees. In the case of Lanzarote there were four tropical nights throughout the island, the island that had the fewest nights of this type. Two of them in Las Vegas in Tías, another in the Haría cemetery and another at the Lanzarote Airport. The four tropical nights occurred between April 11 and 12.
In the last ten years, April 2024 has been the one that has recorded the most tropical nights, reaching 253 in the Canary Islands.
Maximum temperatures
The town of Los Dolores in the municipality of Tinajo reached 35 degrees on April 11. While the La Graciosa heliport reached a maximum of 31.8 degrees. Gran Canaria and Tenerife were the islands where the highest temperatures were recorded, with 38.5 and 38.3 degrees, respectively.
The highest minimums occurred at the Lanzarote Airport with 24.6 degrees also on April 11 and that same day at the La Graciosa heliport with 18.5 degrees.
Precipitation
As for precipitation, last April was the 12th driest of the last 63 years in the Canary Islands. In the province of Las Palmas the 11th with the least rainfall.
The highest rainfall record of the month occurred during April 27 and 28. However, the accumulated precipitation in the month of April in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were the lowest in the Canary Islands.
The lack of precipitation makes the current hydrological year, which runs from October 2023 to September 2024, "very dry", the seventh driest since 1961 for the province of Las Palmas.