Nine mainland districts under orange warning due to heavy rain

Nine mainland districts are today under an orange warning due to the forecast of persistent rain, sometimes heavy and occasionally accompanied by thunderstorms, according to the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

The districts of Viseu, Évora, Porto, Vila Real, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Beja, Aveiro and Braga will be under orange warning until 12pm today, changing to yellow until 6am on Tuesday.

The IPMA has also put the districts of Bragança, Guarda, Viseu, Guarda, Santarem, Lisbon, Leiria, Castelo Branco, Coimbra and Portalegre on yellow alert between 12pm today and 6am Tuesday due to rain, sometimes heavy and accompanied by thunderstorms.

Viseu, Evora, Porto, Faro, Vila Real, Setúbal, Santarém, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Leiria, Beja, Aveiro, Coimbra, Portalegre and Braga are again under yellow warning on Tuesday because of heavy rain.

The districts of Bragança, Viseu, Porto, Guarda, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, Aveiro, Castelo Branco, Coimbra and Braga are also under yellow warning until 3pm today and Faro and Beja between 12pm and 3pm on Tuesday because of strong wind.

The districts of Porto, Faro, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Leiria, Beja, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga are also under yellow warning until 00h00 on Tuesday due to sea disturbance, with waves of west/southwest with 4 to 5 meters expected.

In Madeira, the mountainous regions and the south coast will also be under orange warning due to the forecast of heavy rain, which may be accompanied by thunderstorms between 18h00 today and 00h00 on Tuesday, changing to yellow until 03h00 on Wednesday.

The orange warning indicates a moderate to high risk weather situation and the yellow is issued by IPMA whenever there is a risk situation for certain activities dependent on the weather situation.

On Sunday, the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) warned the population of the continuation of bad weather until Tuesday, with rain and strong winds, reinforcing the request for defensive driving or not crossing flood zones.

In a statement, ANEPC warns that IPMA forecasts point to the continuation of bad weather in the coming days, between heavy rain, wind and strong sea agitation and the possibility of thunderstorms.

“From the early hours of Monday [today], December 12, it is expected the occurrence of persistent precipitation that could be temporarily strong in the North and Centre regions, with the most critical period between 06h00 and 12h00, extending progressively southwards during the afternoon,” especially in the districts of Setúbal, Évora and Beja, during the period between 12h00 and 24h00.

For Tuesday, the forecast is for “persistent and sometimes heavy rainfall in the districts of Setúbal, Evora and Santarem”, between midnight and midday. During the afternoon, “precipitation will be more likely in the regions of the Centre, Alto Alentejo and Faro”.

The information from the Portuguese Environment Agency points to the possibility of “flooding in urban areas, caused by accumulations of rainwater due to obstruction of drainage systems”, as well as the possibility of floods, “enhanced by the overflow of the bed of some streams, rivers and creeks”.

They also warn of the possibility of landslides and landslides, dragging loose objects onto roads, the possibility of snowfall and slippery road surfaces.