Nearly all of mainland Portugal will be under orange alert – the second most serious weather warning – on Wednesday (November 5) due to a new bout of bad weather.
IPMA, Portugal’s weather institute, had initially declared yellow alerts for all of the mainland before upgrading its forecasts to orange everywhere except the northeastern district of Bragança – which remains under a yellow warning for heavy rain from 6am to 3pm on Wednesday, and for strong winds from 9pm this Tuesday until noon on Wednesday.
Along the coast, the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Lisbon and Setúbal will face an orange alert between 3am and 9am on Wednesday due to intense rainfall, with the possibility of thunderstorms. The warning then eases to yellow until mid-afternoon.
Elsewhere, the bad weather arrives a few hours later. Vila Real, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Santarém, Évora, Beja and Faro will all be under an orange alert for heavy rain from 6am to noon, also with a yellow alert for thunderstorms.
IPMA has also issued warnings ranging from yellow to orange for strong winds and rough seas, urging caution particularly along the coast.
The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) also issued a weather warning this Tuesday, citing a “deterioration in weather conditions across mainland Portugal, with periods of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, occasional hail, strong winds and maritime unrest expected for Wednesday.” Gusts of up to 80 km/h along the coast and 100 km/h in the northern and central highlands are forecast, as well as rough seas on the western coast between November 4 and 6.
Authorities warn of a risk of urban flooding, coastal overtopping, river overflows, and landslides caused by water saturation. Slippery roads, flying debris, and poorly secured structures could also pose a danger to motorists and pedestrians.
ANEPC stresses that the impact of the adverse weather can be minimised through precautionary behaviour, particularly in areas historically prone to flooding and strong winds.
