Teide Awakes to a Winter Wonderland
It has taken almost a year for Mount Teide to once again don its white coat. While the peak of Spain was dusted with snow on Christmas Eve last year, that was a minor snowfall which, though picturesque, did not grant Tenerife’s residents long days of play on the volcano’s slopes. It has taken Storm Emilia’s arrival in the Canary Islands to deliver a true Christmas snowfall, one now positioning itself as the most significant the island has seen since 2016. This Saturday, 13 December, the Teide National Park awoke to half a metre of snow, closed access roads, and sub-zero temperatures that promise to keep the mercury frozen throughout the day.
Freezing Temperatures and Powerful Winds
During Saturday, sub-zero temperatures were recorded in the Teide National Park, with the lowest point reached at 11:00, when the thermometer in Izaña could not climb above -2.8°C. The strongest wind gust also occurred at this same hour, registering up to 159 kilometres per hour, making it notably difficult to be outdoors in an area that was already cordoned off, with only essential and Emergency services personnel moving about. The day thus began freezing on Teide, from where numerous videos and photographs emerged, taken by people who had spent Friday night, 12 December, at the Parador hotel.
Road Closures and Hazardous Conditions
Although Emilia was forecast to ease around midday, hail began to fall in summit areas, making it impossible for those wishing to reach the peak to do so. Consequently, the Tenerife Island Council decided to close all access roads to Teide from six o’clock on Friday evening, a situation that will remain unchanged at least throughout Sunday. Specifically, the TF-21, the TF-24 via La Esperanza, and the southern ascents from Arafo, Vilaflor, and Chío remain closed. To the sub-zero temperatures, powerful wind gusts, and half a metre of snow, up to five centimetres of ice was added in the Portillo area. The president of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, insisted throughout the day that under no circumstances should residents attempt to access the summit, while crews are already working to clear the roads for reopening as soon as it is completely safe for traffic.
The Biggest Snowfall in Nearly a Decade
Tenerife has not experienced a snowfall of this magnitude in almost ten years. The last one of these characteristics occurred in February 2016, lasted for five consecutive days, and ranked among the island’s ten heaviest snowfalls since 1925. That very year saw several significant snow-related episodes in Tenerife which had not been repeated until Storm Emilia made its presence felt in the Canaries on Friday. In this regard, President Rosa Dávila indicated that the snow which has fallen in the last hours in the Teide National Park will “probably last for weeks,” calling for “calm, tranquillity, and prudence” from residents. They will surely have plenty of time to enjoy this natural phenomenon over several days once summit access can safely reopen.
Clear-Up Operation Underway
Dávila reported that further snowfall is expected on Saturday night and that it will be on Sunday morning when road crews can assess the situation to calculate how long will be needed to make the roads safe for traffic. “We will probably implement a special snow plan to allow access to Teide from La Orotava and descend via the south,” the president advanced, favouring a one-way access system so everyone can enjoy the marvellous sight of a snow-covered Teide, a situation they expect to last for at least a week or ten days.
Authorities Urge Public to Avoid the Area
Despite the roads remaining closed to traffic, there have been several incidents on the access routes to Teide in recent hours, including landslides and fallen trees. Nevertheless, snowploughs began working on Saturday and will continue to do so on Sunday, as it snowed heavily overnight as forecast. “Undoubtedly, a snowfall on Teide constitutes an element of special beauty and significance for Tenerife,” expressed workers from the Tenerife Island Council, who nevertheless insisted that these events must not become a “situation of risk” for the public.
In this sense, the Councillor for the Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, stated, “The snow will remain in our National Park for quite a few days, so there is no need to risk lives or safety—not only of the public but also of all the Emergency teams already working on Tenerife’s roads precisely to prevent any incident and to return to normality as soon as possible.”
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