The effects of storm Claudia are beginning to be felt in the Canary Islands. On Wednesday afternoon, two flights bound for César Manrique-Lanzarote airport had to be diverted to Fuerteventura due to the gusts of wind that are already affecting the island.
According to AENA, it is an EasyJet plane, coming from London, and another from Ryanair, which was coming from Edinburgh. Both aircraft landed without incident at the Majorero airport, where they will remain until weather conditions improve.
These diversions are some of the first consequences of Storm Claudia's passage, which is expected to fully impact the archipelago in the coming hours. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has raised the alert level for precipitation in Lanzarote, La Graciosa, and the rest of the islands to orange. Rainfall of up to 30 millimeters per hour is forecast, accompanied by stormy showers and strong winds.
In Arrecife, which already experienced flooding episodes at the beginning of the year, there is a 10% to 40% probability that rainfall will once again affect the capital.
Faced with this situation, the Canary Islands Government has declared an alert for the risk of floods, rain, and wind, and maintains a pre-alert for storms and rough seas.
Likewise, the director of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Francisco Javier Trujillo, has ordered the temporary closure of the Port of Arrecife and the Port of El Rosario (Fuerteventura) from 00:00 to 14:00 this Thursday, November 13, due to the imminent arrival of the storm.
The passage of Claudia could leave an episode of intense rains, electrical storms, and heavy surf, so authorities insist on the importance of exercising extreme caution and following official recommendations.
