Bundle up! Temperatures set to drop on Monday; rain to persist into week

The rain that fell across the country this weekend is expected to continue into next week. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) predicts showers for Monday and Wednesday in Lisbon, the Alentejo, and the Algarve. In the northern regions, it should rain throughout the week.

On SIC Notícias, climatologist Mário Marques warned of five or six days of “true winter”. “On Monday the 6th, there will even be a drop in temperatures, but on the 7th, it will become mild again and remain that way for the rest of this week”.

We will have a transition situation from the 6th, with the entry of cold air and frontal rain showers, mainly in the morning. Then, temperatures will increase significantly on the 7th, mainly in the afternoon.

“We will have a new depression at the end of the 7th and 8th with persistent rain that could affect the entire territory but will be more intense in the northern regions. This situation should last at least until the 9th, in the early hours of the morning, when it will begin to ease”, explained Mario Marques to SIC Notícias.

For the expert, this scenario is usual for the time of year. There may be snow, thunderstorms, or hail in the mountainous areas in the north and the Serra da Estrela.

“This situation of successive depressions should have already occurred in December, which was a drier month. Of course, situations may occasionally arise, locally, which could lead to one or another occurrence for Civil Protection”, said the climatologist.