The Canary Islands have a reputation for reliable winter sun — but early November delivered a reminder that Spain's Atlantic archipelago can do weather drama too.

It started with a storm that dumped torrential rain across the islands, triggering a maximum rainfall alert from midnight and activating an emergency coordination plan. La Palma, one of the most popular islands for walking and stargazing holidays, bore the brunt: rainfall reached up to 30 litres per square metre per hour, and the island's entire power supply was knocked out early on Monday morning. Spain's regional government mobilised agencies to monitor essential services, though grid operator Red Electrica and local councils stayed quiet when asked for comment.

Over on Tenerife, the same weather system brought something rarer still: snow. It fell at high altitude on Mount Teide, the volcano that crowns the island and one of its biggest draws. The summit was closed to hikers, and authorities said only properly equipped mountaineers with winter gear should attempt the peak, warning that high-altitude paths had become dangerous and difficult to cross.

Here's the twist for anyone panicking about a booked trip: down at sea level, Tenerife remained the island most British holidaymakers know and love. The Met Office forecast highs of 28°C for Monday, easing only slightly to 26°C on Tuesday and Wednesday. In other words, you could theoretically watch snow dust a volcano in the morning and swim in the afternoon — one of the few places in Europe where that's plausible.

The rough week came shortly after another natural event: two earthquakes struck offshore near Lanzarote. The stronger one, a magnitude 3.1 tremor on 25 October at 6.08pm, hit west of the island; a 2.6 magnitude micro-quake was recorded around 14 hours earlier at a depth of 19.2 miles. Spain's National Geographic Institute filed both under the label "Atlántico-Canarias", meaning they happened in remote open water rather than near the coast.

For travellers, none of this should cause much alarm. Seismic activity is routine around the Canaries, especially in the channel between Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and offshore tremors of this size typically go unnoticed by locals and visitors alike. The more useful takeaway is practical: the islands' famously dependable climate can still throw a wobble, and if you're planning to hike on Teide or any high ground, checking conditions and carrying proper kit matters even in November. Coastal holidays were running at full beach-weather capacity throughout.

So if you've got a Canary Islands escape booked this month, the sensible read is to keep your plans — check Teide cable car and trail status if a summit visit is on the itinerary, and expect some heavy downpours between the sunshine. Rare snow days on a subtropical volcano are, at the very least, a good photo opportunity.