The condition of maritime unrest affecting the Portuguese coast is “easing,” but caution should not be ignored, as advised by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). “Even though the situation is easing, attention is still required for coastal interests,” the IPMA emphasized.
The IPMA indicated that prevailing precautions should not be relaxed, even after the yellow alert, which was in effect until Wednesday morning, has ended. “During today and tomorrow, August 27 and 28, we expect northwestern maritime unrest on the western coast with significant wave heights of up to 3 meters and peak periods ranging from 10 to 15 seconds, with maximum wave heights potentially reaching up to 5 meters,” specialists explained.
The IPMA maintained the “risk of strong rip currents, known as ‘agueiros,’ on the beaches.” “This situation is expected to gradually ease over the coming days, although maritime agitation will not fall below 1.5/2 meters and will remain with a significant amount of energy along this coastal strip, at least until the weekend,” read a statement published on the entity’s Facebook page.
Given the current conditions, “coastal conditions may impact coastal activities, notably bathing activities,” and the IPMA advises “continuing increased vigilance and adherence to authority guidelines.”
The week began with forecasts of worsening sea conditions, particularly on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, as explained by the National Maritime Authority. The maritime unrest was due to a “northwest-origin wave movement” resulting from a cyclone coming from the Azores. On Monday, waves were expected to reach a maximum height of seven meters, with an average period ranging between 15 and 17 seconds.
The safety advice given at the time, which should still be followed, is as follows:
- Frequent supervised beaches;
- Respect beach flag signals;
- Adhere to the instructions of lifeguards, law enforcement, and surveillance personnel on beaches;
- Constantly watch over children;
- Avoid standing under unstable cliffs.
These conditions have led to damage, which has been captured in images. Several incidents were recorded from North to South in the last 24 hours, including damage to Costa da Caparica beaches in the Setúbal district, walkway damage in the Algarve, and the rescue by lifeguards who managed to prevent a tragedy when a wave swept away beachgoers. Read more about the incident.
The maritime unrest that put mainland Portugal on a yellow alert in recent hours left a trail of destruction from North to South. In Praia da Parede, Cascais, a person is missing.
In recent days, as forewarned by the IPMA, “very energetic and high-volume waves” were present on the Portuguese coast. This situation was attributed to the post-tropical cyclone ERIN, located “west of the Azores archipelago, moving northeast” on Saturday.
