Floods hit Lanzarote, inundating hundreds of homes after Storm Olivier moves through Canary Islands

Torrential rains across the Canary Islands led to severe flooding in Lanzarote on Saturday, April 12. A State of Emergency was declared on the island after more than 60 mm (2.4 inches) of rainfall in some areas on Saturday night.

Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, received 61 mm (2.4 inches) of rainfall in just two hours on Saturday night, while 97.5 mm (3.6 inches) was recorded overnight at a tourist resort in Costa Teguise.

Tahíche was one of the hardest hit regions by the flooding, receiving over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain. Meanwhile, 70.4 mm (2.7 inches) was recorded at the Aquapark, and 65.8 mm (2.6 inches) in Los Ancones through Saturday night.

Emergency services reported responding to over 300 emergency calls on Saturday, with over 150 calls from Costa Teguise and more than 70 from Arrecrife.

Multiple roads across the island were closed, including the bridge on LZ-20 going from Arrecrife to San Bartolomé, one of the hardest-hit areas.

The State of Emergency was lifted at around 07:00 local time (LT) on Sunday, April 13, as the floodwaters receded. Although no injuries or fatalities were reported, floodwaters entered hundreds of homes across the island, leaving behind large quantities of mud, according to local authorities.

The Canary Islands are particularly vulnerable to floods due to the dry climate and soil composed of volcanic rock that doesn’t absorb water easily.

The torrential rain came off the back of Storm Olivier, which swept over the Canaries, mainland Spain, and Portugal in recent days, triggering weather alerts.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET has issued weather warnings for multiple regions until Tuesday, April 15, including storms in the northeast, rainfall in the Balearic Islands, and strong winds along parts of both the northern and southern coasts.

References:

¹ Severe floods hit Lanzarote after torrential rain – BBC – April 13, 2025

² La emergencia por inundaciones en Lanzarote causa 222 incidencias en Arrecife y Teguise – Tiempo de canarias – April 13, 2025

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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