Travellers hoping for sun-soaked holidays in Tenerife this March have instead been greeted by what local authorities and meteorologists are calling the most severe storm to hit the Canary Islands in over a decade. Storm Therese, which began sweeping across the archipelago in mid-March 2026, has brought a rare and chaotic blend of torrential rain, gale-force winds, and even significant snowfall at high elevations, upending travel plans and sparking emergency measures throughout the region.
According to Spain’s meteorological agency, Aemet, yellow and orange weather warnings were issued across the Canary Islands starting March 19, 2026, as the isolated cold front deepened west of the Iberian Peninsula. The storm’s brunt was felt most acutely in Tenerife and La Palma, but adverse weather also reached Gran Canaria and extended rainfall to the eastern islands by March 21. The warnings, which included forecasts of wind gusts up to 100 km/h (62 mph), heavy downpours, flash flooding, and rough seas with waves exceeding five meters, were expected to remain in place through at least March 23.
Island president Rosa Dávila declared a state of emergency for Tenerife, emphasizing in a statement on March 20 that the Island Emergency Plan would remain active as long as orange weather warnings persisted. "The night has left numerous incidents such as falling lights, outages, power outages and water accumulation. Several rescues have also been carried out in coastal areas and ravines due to the strong waves and rising water," Dávila reported, according to The Independent.
For many tourists and locals, the storm’s impact was immediate and disruptive. Access to the iconic Mount Teide was closed due to snow just as the busy Easter travel period was about to begin, and roads across the islands were shuttered. Schools closed at the end of the week, and authorities urged everyone to avoid unnecessary travel. In some of the worst-hit areas, temporary shelters were set up to support those displaced or stranded by the weather.
The chaos extended to Tenerife’s airports, where travel disruptions quickly mounted. While arrivals and departures at both Tenerife South and North airports initially operated largely as scheduled, the situation deteriorated as the storm intensified. By March 20, more than 40 flights had been cancelled or diverted—predominantly at Tenerife’s airports—and 22 flights were delayed at Tenerife North alone on Friday morning, according to Flightradar24 data cited by The Independent and Irish Mirror. Social media posts described the airports as “rammed,” with hours-long baggage queues and passport control bottlenecks. One TikTok user, @theknightstrider1, told his 115,000 followers, "If you come to the airport, I do recommend you get here nice and early if you're leaving, there's bound to be queues when you've got this many people around."
For those who managed to reach their hotels, the weather offered little respite. Dramatic images circulated in British media showed the ceiling of the Bahia Principe Fantasia hotel in Golf del Sur collapsed after a night of relentless rain and thunder. One British holidaymaker recounted to The Mirror, "It rained heavy the whole night and you [could hear] thunder and lighting. Then I walked in the restaurant and the ceiling was down." Despite the havoc, she noted that “the sun comes out every so often,” and tourists would rush to sunbeds whenever the weather briefly cleared. Temperatures fluctuated between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius, depending on the bursts of sunshine and the prevailing winds.
Storm Therese’s reach extended far beyond mere inconvenience. Coastal areas were battered by powerful waves, flooding streets and prompting rescue operations. Maritime Rescue officials deployed helicopters to pluck sailors from a boat swept away near El Médano beach in terrifying conditions, with at least one person reportedly left in serious difficulty. The storm’s unusual severity for the time of year was underscored by heavy snowfall blanketing Mount Teide and neighboring peaks above 1,800–2,000 meters—an uncommon sight in March.
Local authorities, including the Cabildo de Tenerife, repeatedly urged residents and visitors to exercise maximum caution and responsibility, follow emergency services’ advice, and stay indoors where possible. "Avoid unnecessary travel," the council advised, as outdoor events were canceled and roads to popular destinations like Teide National Park remained closed. Still, some adventurous tourists braved the elements to capture dramatic footage of the storm-tossed sea smashing against Tenerife’s beachfronts.
The storm’s unpredictability was a recurring theme in both official forecasts and residents’ accounts. As one local described on TikTok, "It's on for another at least four days this crazy weather... The good news is, it is mixed. I suppose that's kind of good news, you can get a bit of sunshine, but it was absolutely hammering it down a minute ago." The same resident lamented that local drains "just can't handle" the rainfall, often resulting in water surging back up onto streets.
Tourists faced tough decisions as the storm dragged on. Many confessed to canceling or rebooking holidays at the last minute, with one social media user stating, "We cancelled our week away at the last minute," and another responding, "Snap – we've rebooked for April 12 onwards." Others anxiously asked when the storm would end, hoping for a return to typical spring weather. The UK Foreign Office, however, had not issued new travel advice for Tenerife as of March 20, instead reiterating general warnings about extreme weather and flash flooding in Spain. Without an official advisory against non-essential travel, cancellations and refunds depended on individual holiday providers and insurance policies.
By Monday, March 23, the worst of Storm Therese was expected to subside across much of the region, but weather warnings persisted. Aemet maintained amber alerts for rain in El Hierro, La Gomera, and western Tenerife, where up to 30mm of rain could fall in an hour. Yellow warnings for rain and thunderstorms remained in effect for La Palma, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and other islands. Temperatures were forecast to remain steady, with the possibility of light frosts at higher elevations in Tenerife and La Palma, and strong southwest winds expected to gradually ease through the day.
Despite the storm’s ferocity, no casualties had been reported as of March 23. Emergency services continued to respond to incidents, and the resilience of both locals and visitors was on display—some determined to make the best of their disrupted holidays, others simply eager for the sun to return. As the islands begin to recover, the events of March 2026 will likely be remembered as a rare and dramatic interruption to the Canary Islands’ normally balmy springtime routine.