Snowfall hit elevations above 1,500 metres in Tenerife as a yellow warning for rough seas was issued
The Canary Islands were plagued by adverse weather this week as Storm Regina, named by the Portuguese weather service, barrelled through the archipelago. The storm swept eastwards towards Africa on Tuesday and Wednesday after bringing strong gusts of up to 64mph to the island of Lanzarote.
Wave heights of 5-6 metres were widely reported, while some peaked above 6 metres along northern coasts in the Canary island chain. As a result, the area was placed under a yellow warning for rough seas. To add to the chaos, snowfall struck elevations above 1,500 metres in Tenerife, closing multiple mountain roads.
The winter of 2025/26 will be remembered as somewhat of a rollercoaster across much of the US, with stark spatial and temporal contrasts. Multiple intrusions of Arctic air engulfed large parts of the country, bringing record snowfall and weeks of sub-zero temperatures to many states, most notably in Rhode Island, which recorded nearly 38 inches (96cm) in 48 hours in last month’s blizzard.
However, this week, the thermometer was flipped on its head. Warm air surged northwards from Mexico, pooling over Texas, Arizona and California. A temperature of 41C (106F) was recorded in Falcon, Texas, earlier this week, preliminarily breaking the record for the warmest temperature ever recorded in the US during the meteorological winter months of December, January and February.
