The situation was bleak last month, now it is even worse. According to Portugal’s Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), 79% of the country is facing a “severe to extreme drought”, and unless rain starts falling, it will only get worse.
The remaining 21% of the country is in a state of “weak to moderate drought,” IPMA’s monthly bulletin has revealed.
“Considering the time of year, the situation is only expected to stay the same or deteriorate,” said specialists.
Further data in IPMA’s meteorological index shows that 30.42ºC was the average top temperature last month – 1.7ºC more than averages registered between 1971-2000, marking July as the ninth hottest since records began (1931) and the fifth hottest since 2000.
Mirandela in Bragança registered the highest temperatures (42.1ºC on July 16) while the lowest were felt in Montalegre, Vila Real (July 2).
As we wrote this article forecasts for the weekend, intriguingly, pointed to rain in the south on both Saturday and Sunday.
