Las Palmas de Gran Canaria sits in Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa, where a subtropical, semi-arid climate keeps most of the year dry, with the little rain that does fall concentrated in short, intense autumn and winter storms.
On Gran Canaria, the city’s steep volcanic ravines can flood rapidly during the islands’ infrequent but intense winter storms. Volcanic island terrain means rain that does fall can run off steep slopes into ravines (barrancos) extremely quickly, making flash flooding a bigger relative risk here than the islands’ generally dry climate would suggest. Learn more: Flash Flood Warning Signs on Radar · Open the full Rain Map