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Tourists in Tenerife have needed to wade through snow and ice after Storm Therese landed on the island.
The tourist hotspot looked more like Iceland after Storm Therese brought a blanket of snow and ice to the island which sits just 60 miles off the coast of Africa.
Canary Islands are under a weather alert after days of non-stop rainfall and winds sweeping over the Spanish archipelago.
Holidays on the island have been disrupted as dozens of flights have been axed in the course of the week as a result of high winds reaching as much as 75mph.
Nearly all of flights scheduled to depart from Tenerife South Airport yesterday left late, based on plane tracking website Flightradar24.
Roads have been shut as a precaution after snow and rainfall led to treacherous conditions.
Footage from the favored visitor attraction, the Teide National Park, showed a snow-covered mountain peak.
Some hikers braved the chilly conditions despite a warning that peaks above 5,900 feet would see significant snowfall.
The Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has issued an orange alert, meaning high risk of heavy rain, thunderstorms and gusty wind on the Canaries and the south coast of Spain in Andalusia.
The president of Tenerife, Rosa Davila, said yesterday: ‘Starting today at 3pm, the island emergency response system is put into operation to organize for an episode of hostile weather that may affect Tenerife over the approaching days.’
The rough weather front is predicted to last until early next week.
Last month, southern Spain and Portugal were left devastated by Storm Leonardo after heavy rain, flooding and landslides.
Hundreds of individuals were forced to go away their homes within the wake of the storm, which brought ‘exceptional’ amounts of rain in only 24 hours.
At the least two people died, including a lady who was swept right into a swollen river while attempting to rescue her dog.
What are my rights if my flight has been cancelled?
Within the UK and EU, airlines must take care of you in case your flight is delayed or cancelled. This includes every thing from meals and accommodation to another flight if mandatory.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines must also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails, and, in the event that they give you a spot to remain, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers on the airport. When doubtful, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline.
But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses.
Should you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to ascertain their terms and conditions. Nonetheless, for essentially the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
When am I eligible for this support?
Whether you’re eligible for the above will depend on the space of your flight and the way long you have got waited:
For brief-haul (as much as 1,500km over two hours or less), you will need to have been waiting for 2 hours or more.
For medium-haul (between 1,500km and three,500km over two to 4 hours), it’s three hours or more.
For long-haul (greater than 3,500km over 4 hours or more), it’s 4 hours or more.
Are you in Tenerife? Please email webnews@metro.co.uk
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