The Canary Islands has now been blasted with snow after heavy rains sparked flash floods that swept through the popular holiday hotspots.
Telde, one of the main cities on the island of Gran Canaria, was hit by torrential rains that caused rivers and streams to overflow – with one woman needing rescuing from her sinking car.
Shocking footage has emerged from the island showing torrents of muddy water crashing through roads as cars spin out of control on the brink of submersion.
And images from Teide National Park in Tenerife have shown the area’s iconic mountain covered in a blanket of snow.
The Tenerife Cabildo shared several videos yesterday showing the volcano completely transformed by snow, offering rare views more reminiscent of polar regions than a typical subtropical landscape.
Due to ice on the roads, all access routes to the popular Teide National Park remain closed to ensure public safety.
The rare torrential rain and snow has unleashed hell across the islands with the severity of the conditions prompting authorities to advise residents and tourists to stay indoors.
In one recent clip from Radio Canaria, a red car can be seen stuck in the front of a row of other abandoned vehicles as the rain lashes down overhead.
The DANA weather front passing through the Canary Islands has left Teide National Park covered in a blanket of snow
Due to ice on the roads, all access routes to the Teide National Park remain closed to ensure public safety
The rare torrential rain and snow has unleashed hell across the islands with the severity of the conditions prompting authorities to advise residents and tourists to stay indoors
Teide National Park (pictured) on a sunny day
Shocking footage captured the moment a car was about to be submerged in flood waters while a woman was trapped inside
A brave passerby waded through the muddy water to free the woman from her car before it appeared to almost sink
Cars have been washed out to sea after massive floods hit the Spanish island
But in a terrifying turn of events, a woman is seen trapped in the car that appears just moments away from sinking.
A passerby quickly ditches her umbrella and treads through the lapping flood water before pulling open the car door and dragging the woman to safety.
The Canary Islands has been deluged over recent days, with streets turned into rivers by the weather phenomenon known locally as DANA – a Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression, and unlike common storms or squalls it can form independently of polar or subtropical jet streams.
When cold air blows over warm Mediterranean waters it causes hotter air to rise quickly and form towering, dense, water-laden clouds that can remain over the same area for many hours, raising their destructive potential.
Aemet says DANAs sometimes become stationary or even move backwards, from east to west.
Following the weekend of rain in much of the archipelago, the DANA will move from the Gulf of Cadiz towards the Canary Islands this week, making the weather unstable on the islands until Thursday, according to local reports.
On Monday, yellow weather warnings were issued in the western islands, but the east and south of Gran Canaria were hit with an orange warning as strong storms brewed in the Telde area.
These yellow warnings are set to remain in effect for part of the day on Tuesday and will also be extended to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
While some cars were dragged into the sea by the aggressive floods, others lay vertical, stuck or destroyed
A car is caught up in the swell before it is flushed down the road and out of view on the streets of Gran Canaria
A partially submerged car remains stuck following flash floods in Telde
Emergency services are on ‘high alert’ and authorities have warned people to avoid unnecessary travel
People were left stranded in the flood water across the weekend and yesterday
The coastal town of Costa Adeje, Tenerife, (pictured), on a sunny day
Tenerife is also under a yellow warning, with rain forecast in the north of the island, the metropolitan area and the eastern, southern and western slopes.
In Tenerife, at least 80 people were left trapped in a supermarket as they could not reach their vehicles due to high water levels in a car park, according to local reports.
Emergency services were working to pump water out of the car park to enable people to leave the building.
A state of ‘pre-alert’ was issued by authorities across the Canary Islands on Saturday, March 1, after torrential rain hit the archipelago at the weekend.
On Monday, dramatic footage emerged from the islands showing cars being rapidly swept tens of metres into the sea as strong rain hits the island.
In another clip, a car is caught up in the swell before it is flushed down the road and out of view.
While some cars were dragged into the sea by the aggressive floods, others lay vertical, stuck or destroyed.
Bollards rattled and bins were also swept away by the heavy streams.
A number of vehicles were also dragged into the Las Bachilleras ravine.
A clean up operation began yesterday as residents and firefighters picked up shovels and brushes to clear mounds of mud in the streets and houses of the badly affected Salinetas neighborhood in Telde.
Local news website Canaria Weekly said that emergency services remained on ‘high alert’ and authorities have warned people to avoid unnecessary travel.
The car was pushed out into the sea by rapid moving soil-coloured water
Dramatic footage posted online shows soil-coloured water rapidly moving down the street as it rushes in from the sea
Spanish weather agency has said that there is a possibility thunderstorms could still hit the island
Authorities have said that conditions are set to improve by Wednesday with no further weather warnings in place
However, authorities have said that conditions are set to improve by Wednesday with no further weather warnings in place.
The severe rainfall, and even snow, has come during the islands’ carnival celebrations, leading to several events being called off or rescheduled.
The annual festival, slated to end on March 9, features a drag queen competition and parades with fancy dress and falls in the period leading up to Easter.
Last year flash floods in Valencia and other parts of Spain killed more than 200 people, destroyed thousands of homes and triggered mass protests against regional authorities.
The most up-to-date reports indicate that 223 people lost their lives, with at least 31 still missing, making it Spain’s deadliest weather disaster in decades.
The emergency response included the deployment of over 2,000 personnel from Spain’s military emergency unit, who worked alongside local responders and volunteers to conduct rescue and recovery operations.
An additional number of more than 30,000 volunteers were mobilised, from all over the country, to support the cleanup efforts.
To date, hundreds of families have lost their homes and thousands have seen their vehicles destroyed.
