Several municipalities in the northern and central interior and the Algarve are at very high risk of rural fire, according to the IPMA.
The risk of rural fires is expected to remain high at least until Saturday due to the forecast of hot weather.
This risk, determined by the IPMA, has five levels ranging from reduced to maximum. The calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and the amount of precipitation in the past 24 hours.
The forecast of hot weather prompted Civil Protection to issue a warning on Tuesday for a very high to maximum risk of rural fire in the north and center of the country, as well as the Algarve, due to the expected high temperatures in the coming days.
According to the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), temperatures may reach 40 degrees in the southern inland region, as well as in the Tejo and Douro valleys.
The Authority cites data from the IPMA, highlighting a relative humidity below 30% in a large part of the territory, “with poor night recovery.”
Also due to the heat, the IPMA placed the districts of Bragança, Viseu, Évora, Guarda, Vila Real, Setúbal, Santarém, Lisbon, Beja, Castelo Branco, and Portalegre under a yellow warning until 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
The IPMA also placed the southern coast and the mountainous regions of Madeira under a yellow warning until 6:00 p.m. on Friday due to the persistence of high maximum temperature values.
The yellow warning, the least severe on a scale of three, is issued whenever there is a risk situation for certain activities dependent on the weather situation.
The IPMA forecasts for today on the mainland a mostly clear or slightly cloudy sky, with periods of more cloudiness on the north and central coast, generally light wind, and a slight rise in minimum temperature inland, especially north of the Montejunto-Estrela mountainous system, and maximums in the northeast Transmontano and Beira Alta.
Minimum temperatures will range between 10 degrees Celsius (in Viana do Castelo and Braga) and 24 (in Portalegre) and maximums between 21 (in Aveiro) and 38 (in Beja).
The IPMA forecasts for today in the Madeira archipelago mainly clear skies, and light to moderate east/northeast winds.
In Funchal, temperatures will vary between 21 and 29 degrees and in Porto Santo between 20 and 26.
