A popular holiday hotspot for Brits has been placed under a weather warning after being hit by a deluge of devastating rain. A state of emergency was declared by local officials in Lanzarote after torrential rain saw homes and cars swamped by floodwater during a two-hour period.
A staggering 60 litres of water fell per square metre in the brief period in the some of the heavy rain spots – which is more than a month’s worth of the average rainfall in the UK. The public were urged to avoid all unnecessary travel.
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Cars were left abandoned in the streets after roads were turned into deep and dangerous flowing rivers. Footage showed carparks flooded and large swathes of the land submerged under brown murky water. Locals also complained of a horrific sewage smell in the area. The huge downpour comes just days after Storm Oliver passed over Lanzarote, prompting several flights to the popular British hotspot to be cancelled or diverted on Thursday.
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Oswaldo Betancort, President of the Lanzarote Council, said the island was “surprised” by the downpour. The torrent came from the back of Storm Olivier, which swept over the Spanish mainland and Portugal over the last few days.
“We were surprised by a sudden downpour, which, mainly in Costa Teguise and Arrecife, caused hours of chaos and uncertainty , given the high water level in ravines and on streets in both municipalities,” said Betancourt according to a tranlsation of a report in Radio Television Canaria (RTVC).
12.04.2025#Spain #CanaryIslands
In #Lanzarote, as a result of precipitation in several places, more than 70 liters of water fell per square meter, which led to more than 300 incidents.Houses, garages, streets, roads were #flooded. A state of #emergency was declared.@victorhugopi pic.twitter.com/cTeaFQ8Cmu
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, said he wanted to thank the great collaboration and support of residents, troops and administrations that are collaborating in the tasks of drainage and cleaning in the capital of Lanzarote, affected at noon yesterday by a waterspout of heavy rains with about 70 litres per square metre.
The city council of Arrecife has also had the support of other municipalities in Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. Now, more than 100 troops will continue in these coming hours and days in the work to ensure that Arrecife is clean, and recovers normality.
Yonathan de León agradece a todos los efectivos su apoyo y gran trabajo y solicitará declarar Arrecife ‘Zona Catastrófica’ por la gran tromba de agua.#lanzarote #Lluvias #canarias #arrecife @yonathandeleon_ @EchedeyArrecife @jacobo_medina pic.twitter.com/YnHOKahnAD
Social media footage from residents and tourists shows floating debris being carried away by powerful torrents of murky water.
The Canary Islands are prone to flooding when intense downpours hit. This is because of the dry climate meaning that the hard ground does not absorb water. Much of the island surface is volcanic rock.
Massive flooding due to extreme rains in Lanzarote of the Canary Islands (12.04.2025) pic.twitter.com/s1LS5sIV2M
One British tourist in Lanzarote said their battle to get back to their hotel felt like ‘Armageddon’.
Mike Hallet, 53, is on holiday on the island with his wife. Their day was initially unaffected as they enjoyed a day trip on the southern tip of Lanzarote, but met chaos when they returned north.
“The motorways were flooded, water was coming off embankments like full blown waterfalls,” Mr Hallett told Metro. “‘It was proper full on. I’ve never seen water like it. I’m amazed no one was killed. It felt like Armageddon.”
Torrential rainfall submerged roads and prompted a state of emergency after heavy rain from Storm Oliver.
Bins were swept away down the street and shops were forced to close following the downpour.
Arrecife, Teguise and San Bartolomé were badly hit. Fire services were called to 152 incidents in Costa Teguise on Saturday evening, and 70 in Arrecife.
Another TikToker took to social media to show the heavy flooding at their hotel in Costa Teguise, Lanzarote.
Before the change in weather, the video pans around their hotel and shows a lovely clear blue pool and beautiful sunshine in the sky.
However, just two hours later, a nasty type of brown water is seen flooding the whole facility after a staggering 60 litres of water fell per square metre in the brief period.
Holidaymakers who flew out to Lanzarote for a warm Easter break have taken to TikTok to show the torrid conditions they have encountered.
The remarkable footage shows the roads flooded, river banks bursting, and cars trying to drive in the dreadful weather.
The TikToker simply wrote: “Come to Lanzarote in April they say?”
Firefighers were seen coming to the rescue of people stranded in cars following the intense flooding yesterday.
In the shocking clip, local shops are flooded by the brown murky water and cars are left unable to move. Emergency services had to come to their rescue.
Firefighters on the scene helping people from floods in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain pic.twitter.com/6PZZPzgRPv
Emergency services in Lanzarote confirmed “300 homes” had submerged under water following the flooding.
Enrique Espinosa, head of emergency services for the Lanzarote government, said some locals had been badly affected.
“We have been working all night, attending 300 calls overnight, many of them in Arrecife and Teguise. Some houses are flooded and what remains is a great quantity of mud,” Espinosa told RTVE state television on Sunday.
This is the terrifying moment Lanzarote was hit by a deluge of rain, prompting local officials to declare a state of emergency.
The storm, which broke out on Saturday afternoon, saw cars being left dumped on the roads after they were flooded. Local transport was also badly affected, with holidaymakers being advised to postpone their trip or find alternative accommodation while the island deals with the horror weather.
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