TENERIFE has been plunged into chaos as a monster storm forced officials to trigger the highest possible weather alert.
Phones across the island were blasting out terrifying emergency warnings as relentless rain continues to batter the hols hotspot.
Storm Therese has taken a sudden and dangerous turn, pushing authorities to issue a Red Alert in the north.
The worst-hit areas include Tacoronte and the metropolitan region, where torrential downpours have already dumped up to 80 litres of rain per square metre, far beyond forecasts.
The island’s emergency plan was cranked up to maximum at 8.45pm on Tuesday as conditions rapidly worsened, with officials warning the storm remains wildly unpredictable.
In a dramatic move, emergency alerts were blasted directly to mobile phones across northern Tenerife – sparking panic among residents as the loud warning tone rang out.
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Island president Rosa Dávila urged calm, saying the system is designed to deliver urgent safety information fast and effectively.
She warned: “We are facing a changing situation, with a storm that maintains an unstable behaviour. Our priority is to anticipate and protect the public.”
Emergency services are already stretched to the limit, with nearly 1,800 incidents recorded across the Canary Islands since the storm began.
On Tuesday alone, crews dealt with 653 emergencies in just 18 hours as road flooded, landslides hit and public spaces were swamped.
More than 200 incidents have already been reported in Tenerife itself, with water surging through streets and infrastructure struggling under the strain.
Flights have been cancelled and diverted, while thousands have been evacuated or stranded across the archipelago.
Authorities have now taken drastic steps to keep people safe, shutting down schools, banning events and restricting travel across the island.
Key roads, nature areas and even access to Teide National Park have been closed amid fears of landslides and dangerous water flows.
Civil Protection chief Néstor Padrón warned the situation could turn deadly in seconds, saying: “These situations can generate problems in no time. It is fundamental to reduce exposure to risk.”
Officials are pleading with both locals and tourists to stay indoors, avoid travel and never attempt to cross floodwaters as the storm continues to batter the island.
The chaos is expected to worsen in the coming hours, with more heavy rain forecast and conditions also deteriorating on nearby La Palma, where winds could hit almost 56mph.
It comes as terrified tourists were already caught in the storm’s path during shocking scenes over the past few days.
A British holidaymaker was seen screaming “can someone get us help” as she climbed onto the roof of a minibus trapped in raging floodwater in Puerto de la Cruz.
The woman had scrambled out through the sunroof as muddy waters surged around the vehicle, crying “Help, help” while stranded in the dark.
Five Brits were onboard as the bus was engulfed by the floods, forcing them to escape through the roof before firefighters rescued them.
Days earlier, Storm Therese had already shown its terrifying power when a passenger plane was forced to abort landing in gale-force winds.
Footage showed the aircraft rocking violently before pulling up at the last second.
The nerve-racking moment was caught on the live webcam of the runway at Lanzarote Airport.
