Therese

Storm Therese has wreaked havoc across the Canary Islands, but a British expat is urging holidaymakers not to cancel as he claims big changes are coming at the start of April

Weather chaos has been wreaking havoc across Spain recently as Storm Therese sweeps through the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife and La Palma – prompting numerous holidaymakers to abandon their plans after anticipating days basking in the sunshine.

The storm is currently bringing an unusual mix of torrential rain, 100 km/h (62 mph) winds, and significant snowfall at higher elevations. Authorities have issued a full-scale emergency in Tenerife, calling it one of the most serious storms to strike the archipelago in more than a decade. Despite this, it appears locals are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, as they’re encouraging people to maintain their holiday plans.

Taking to TikTok, one British expat named Mattie Barnett posted on the Tenerife First Excursions account, where he works, to reveal that a major shift is anticipated to arrive in Tenerife in April.

“Bollocks to the rain in Tenerife,” Mattie declared at the opening of the video, before briefly outlining that they’d been forced to endure days of rainfall in the Spanish holiday hotspot. But now, the sunshine had finally returned.

Gesturing towards the popular Playa del Camisón beach, he remarked: “There were people queuing at eight this morning to get the sun beds after half a day of rain.”

Mattie, who hails from Lincolnshire, went on to predict that the weather will likely remain sunny with pleasant temperatures of around 24 degrees through to the weekend. While early April may bring some overcast conditions, Mattie expressed optimism that the warm summery weather would return shortly afterwards.

It appears holidaymakers are placing their trust in Mattie’s forecast, as numerous people confirmed they’re pressing ahead with their travel plans.

“Coming next Wednesday. Need to be seeing blue skies, palm trees and everything in between,” one person commented. Another user stated: “I come on the 28th hopefully still good weather.”

Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, is forecasting that the rainfall will cease by Friday, 27 March, when sunshine will return, with temperatures hovering around 21 degrees for the remainder of the week and throughout Easter weekend, which is typical for this period.

Meanwhile, weather maps from WXCharts suggest that portions of the UK could be battered by heavy snowfall and temperatures plummeting to -9C between April 3 and April 5 – Easter weekend.

Weather charts indicate the snow zone stretching approximately 480 miles from the Scottish Highlands across northern England and the Midlands down towards areas of southern England.

At least 12 major cities could find themselves in the trajectory of the wintry conditions, which may trigger worries about travel chaos, school closures and hazardous driving conditions.

Storm Therese is battering the Canary Islands with heavy rain, 100km/h winds and significant snowfall, with over 40 flights cancelled and schools closed across the islands

Storm Therese is currently wreaking havoc on the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife and La Palma, with an unusual mix of heavy rain, 100 km/h (62 mph) winds, and significant snowfall at high altitudes. Authorities have declared a full-scale emergency in Tenerife, labelling it as one of the most severe storms to batter the archipelago in over a decade.

Spain‘s meteorological agency, AEMET, has issued several alerts that will remain active throughout the weekend. Orange (high risk) warnings have been dispatched for northern Tenerife and parts of La Palma due to wind gusts reaching 90–100 km/h and heavy rainfall. Concurrently, yellow warnings are in place across all seven islands for rain, thunderstorms, and choppy seas with waves reaching up to 6 metres (20 feet).

Unusually for this time of year, significant snowfall has also blanketed Mount Teide and surrounding peaks above 1,800–2,000 metres.

The storm has led to widespread cancellations and safety closures across the islands. Over 40 flights were cancelled or rerouted by Friday, March 20, primarily at Tenerife North and South airports. Travellers are advised to check their flight status via Flightradar24 or their airline.

Schools and universities in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and several other islands were shut on Thursday and Friday, whilst key roads, including access to Teide National Park and the TF-445 to Punta de Teno, are closed due to ice and snow.

Major international events such as the Tenerife Bluetrail 2026 race have been cancelled or postponed.

Providing an update on the weather situation on Friday (March 20), one Tenerife resident known as @theknightstrider1 on TikTok took to the platform to share details with his 115,000 followers.

The car hire and bar owner, who is based in Playa de las Américas, was heard saying: “A little weather update for you then, it’s raining… it’s pretty grim and it’s gone really overcast as well.

“The rain showers are on and off, we haven’t really had any rain until now. It was okay this morning, but yeah it is raining. The current temperature’s around 18 degrees, not too cold but the umbrella’s are out, people are sheltering and it’s really not that nice.”

He added: “Bear in mind, you might get caught in the rain, have a brolly with you. Maybe some of the rain macs as well if you’ve got any, if not buy some because it’s on and off.”

One person wrote: “Weather’s been awful the last three days, can’t wait to go home.”

Whilst another added: “Arrive tomorrow, packed a brolly.”

A third chimed in: “This makes me so happy as someone who was going to go this week and changed to last week! Phew.”

Whilst a fourth asked: “Why is it every time it’s sunny in the UK it rains in Tenerife?”

Another resident of the Canary Islands also posted a weather update on TikTok from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, captioning the clip, ‘Rain, wind and choppy ocean. Flights cancelled and diverted. Flooding in El Médano and roads closed. The storms Theresa and Samuel are hitting Canary Islands.’

He then said in the video: “Here if your weather update from Tenerife South on Friday March 20th, 2026. The two storms – Theresa and Samuel – are hitting the Canary Islands with force.

“As you can see here, we have quite a lot of waves here in the Troya area of Las Americas. The storms have caused quite a few incidents on the island, we have had 11 flights cancelled yesterday, 10 flights have been cancelled during the day today.

“We have had quite a few flights deviated to other airports as well and we have had ferries that have been cancelled because of the conditions out on the see.”

He explained the temperature was currently hovering around 19 degrees and there had been some rain which was “coming and going” along with overcast skies.

Are flights from the UK to Tenerife being cancelled?

Yes, flights from the UK to Tenerife are currently experiencing cancellations and significant disruptions due to severe weather from Storm Therese.

As of Saturday, 21 March 2026, authorities in Tenerife have declared an island-wide emergency due to extreme conditions including heavy rain, strong winds, and rare snowfall over high ground.

Over 36 flights were cancelled earlier this week, with further disruptions reported today. While many cancellations involve inter-island services, several international flights have been diverted or cancelled due to poor visibility and high winds.

Currently, the most affected airport is Tenerife North (TFN), which has seen the greatest impact, though Tenerife South (TFS) – where most UK flights land –is also experiencing delays and some rerouted services.

Conditions are expected to remain hazardous through Saturday, with a gradual improvement predicted for Sunday, 22 March.

Major airlines serving the UK to Tenerife route, such as Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, and TUI, are urging passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport

If your flight is cancelled, contact your airline immediately to discuss rebooking or refund options.