The heavy rain that fell during the early hours of Friday, October 31, in the North of Portugal caused more than 60 weather incidents and forced the closure of several roads due to flooding. A red warning has since been issued for the districts of Viseu, Aveiro and Coimbra.
The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) recorded 68 incidents related to bad weather between midnight and 7am on Friday, most of which were flooding of public roads and structures, mainly in the north of the country.
“We registered 68 incidents, most of which were flooding of public roads and structures in the Porto Metropolitan Area. No casualties or serious damage due to the rain were recorded,” José Costa of ANEPC told Lusa news agency.
“Of the 68 incidents recorded, 59 were flooding of public roads and structures, three were fallen trees, two were road clearances and four were landslides.”
Most incidents (57) were recorded in the Porto Metropolitan Area, with the rest occurring across the Ave and Cávado regions.
According to José Costa, 105 personnel were deployed, supported by 35 vehicles.
Weather conditions may worsen
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) forecasts worsening weather conditions in mainland Portugal for Friday and Saturday, with rain, sometimes heavy and persistent, especially in the northern and central regions, wind and rough seas.
The forecast of heavy rain led the IPMA to issue a red warning for the districts of Viseu, Aveiro and Coimbra between 6am to 12pm on Friday, changing to orange between 12pm on Friday and midnight on Saturday, and then to yellow until 12pm on Saturday.
The districts of Bragança, Porto, Guarda, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, Leiria and Braga are also under an orange warning for rain this Friday, changing to yellow until 3pm on Saturday.
The IPMA also placed Setúbal, Santarém, Lisbon, Castelo Branco and Portalegre under a yellow warning this Friday and Saturday.
The red warning is issued by the IPMA in cases of extreme weather conditions. The orange warning indicates moderate to high risk weather conditions, and the yellow warning indicates risk for certain activities dependent on weather conditions.
Due to the bad weather, ANEPC has issued a warning to the population to take preventive measures due to the forecast of heavy rain, wind and the possibility of flooding in the coming days.
A source from ANEPC told the Lusa news agency that the alert level had been raised to 3, which means a greater response capacity for operational staff.
The Civil Protection Agency warned that there may be significant variations in water flows in areas that are historically more vulnerable.
The worsening weather conditions are associated with forecasts of flooding in urban areas, flash floods and contamination of drinking water sources by debris from rural fires.
The Civil Protection Agency has warned of the need to ensure that rainwater drainage systems are unobstructed and that loose structures, such as scaffolding, slabs and other suspended materials, are properly secured.
PSP police also warned drivers about the increasing risk of road accidents.
