Locals and tourists batten down hatches as ‘Red Alert’ Storm Nuria to smash Canary Islands TODAY – latest weather maps

TOURISTS and residents of the Spanish Canary Islands are bracing for the worst before Storm Nuria with “hurricane-force” winds makes landfall today.

Authorities have issued severe weather warnings for Tenerife and La Palma – both popular tourists hotspots usually packed with visitors.

usually enjoy sunny weather and average daily temperatures of 18 degrees around this time of year, making them a popular holiday destination for British holidaymakers.

But Spain's Met Office (AEMET) issued a red alert today for the east of La Palma till 3 pm local time and amber alerts for many other tourist hotspots expected to take severe hits.

Hurricane-force gusts of up to 80mph along with dangerous sea conditions are expected to batterthe coastal regions.

The most severe conditions are anticipated onwestern islands of, El Hierro and La Gomera.

High-altitude zones, like the summits of La Palma, the Teide National Park and the parts of where the south airport is located, will also be hard hit.

The other islands on the archipelago including Gran Canaria are braced for strong wind gusts ranging from 43 to 62 miles per hour.

To prepare for Storm Nuria, schools in, La Palma and La Graciosa remain closed today.

The agency said in a tweet: “Storm Nuria will leave hurricane-force wind gusts, exceeding 130km/hr, between 5am and 5pm (Canary Islands time) on Thursday, April 3.

“The danger is extraordinary. Extreme caution.”

Brit tourists have been urged to avoid the danger zones until after April 3.

Nuria is the fourteenth high-impact storm of the season.

Along with the, the storm will bring rain, strong winds and cooler temperatures to much of.

Heavy rainfall is also expected to hit Galicia, the Balearic Islands and the Cantabrian mountain range.

Authorities have also announced yellow warnings in the provinces of Cadiz, Huelva and Seville.

The arrival of storm Nuria will interrupt the period of dry and warm weather that Spain has experienced in the previous weeks.

The – with battered by torrential rain.

Tourists and locals saw their cars swept away in devastating flash floods as they were told to stay indoors.

Shocking pictures and videos from the time showed dangerous waters destroying homes and covering streets with piles of mud.

Terrifying footage showed a woman being rescued from a car engulfed in floodwater in Gran Canaria.