TENERIFE has been hit with a blanket of snow as Storm Therese continues to batter the Brit holiday hotspot ahead of the Easter holidays.
The remain under an orange alert after days of torrid rainfall and high winds with the forecast expecting the wild weather to continue for at least another five days.
Storm Therese has left roads in Tenerife covered in a blanket of snowCredit: Tenerife Island Council
Roads have been blocked off due to the weather with icicles forming across the Brit holiday hotspotCredit: Tenerife Island Council
Thick fog has covered large swaths of TenerifeCredit: Tenerife Island Council
Shocking footage taken by surprised tourists shows a whitened mountain peak in Teide National Park.
The video pans around, showing rocks and greenery poking through the snow.
Other video footage shows people hiking through the snow, braving the chilly conditions.
Significant snowfall is still expected above 1,800-2,000 meters.
The bad weather has left at least seven flights on Thursday to be cancelled or diverted across the Canary Islands, following 36 cancellations yesterday, leaving thousands stranded.
Active weather warnings have been in place across the Canary Islands since Wednesday, for heavy rain, storms, flooding, wind, and high waves.
Mere weeks before the Easter break, gusts of wind have exceeded 74 miles per hour, with snow and rainfall leaving multiple roads closed for safety.
Storm Therese has brought major rainfall to the region, causing flash flooding and landslides, El Mundo reported.
The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) released a warning via social media.
The agency said some areas could experience more than a year’s worth of rain.
More than three inches of rain per square metre is expected to fall across the Canary Islands on Thursday, with the peaks and areas east, south and west of Gran Canaria under an orange alert.
And west of La Palma and the island of El Hierro remain under orange alert for coastal phenomena, with waves of five to six meters.
In response, the Canary Islands Government’s Department of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Children and Families closed some nursery and day care centres on Thursday, according to Europa Press.
Preschool closures will also extend to Friday on Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
On the island of La Palma just one school will remain closed.
Other community services including centres for the elderly will also remain closed for the safety of residents.
Roads were left icey after hours of snowfallCredit: Tenerife Island Council
People running from the rain on the beachfront in TenerifeCredit: X
Teguise, Lanzarote is blasted with strong windsCredit: EPA
On ‘s mainland, Andalusia has also been placed under an orange alert for rough seas along the Granada Coast.
Near Almeria and the western part of the region waves have reached as high as three and four metres.
The provinces of Almería, Cádiz, and Málaga have also been placed under a yellow alert for winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.
The alerts come after local authorities in Tenerife on Wednesday afternoon.
Safety measures included road closures, bans on hiking in certain areas, the closure of the Teide National Park due to , and suspension of all outdoor events.
The decision followed forecasts of dangerous conditions – particularly in exposed and mountainous areas.
Rosa Dávila, president of Tenerife, urged “maximum caution”.
She said: “Starting today at 3pm, the island emergency response system is put into operation to prepare for an episode of adverse that will affect Tenerife over the coming days.”
Map of accumulated rainfall and snowfall (in green) in the Canary Islands on ThursdayCredit: Refer to Source
Storm Therese is expected to last until the end of the weekCredit: X
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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