Last month was the wettest February in mainland Portugal in 47 years, according to new data from the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA).
Rainfall in mainland Portugal reached 241 litres per square metre last month — more than triple the usual February average.
According to the IPMA’s latest climatological bulletin, it was the wettest February since 1979 and the fifth wettest since records began in 1931.
The heavy rainfall has left soil moisture levels high across the country, with every municipality recording soil water values between 60% and 100%.
In the north of the country, the central interior and parts of the upper Alentejo interior, soils are already at saturation levels, while in the northeast of Trás-os-Montes conditions are close to oversaturation, IPMA adds.
