The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has extended the orange alert for maritime agitation to more districts. As of 4:53 AM, the alert now includes Beja, Braga, and Coimbra, in addition to Aveiro, Porto, Leiria, Lisbon, Setúbal, and Faro, initially included in an alert issued the previous evening.
The orange alert, due to significant maritime agitation, is expected to last until 9:00 AM with “west/southwest waves reaching five to six meters, potentially reaching maximum heights of 11 meters,” according to the IPMA.
The National Civil Protection Authority reported to Lusa News Agency during the night that no significant incidents had occurred, a sentiment echoed by the Porto District Relief Operations Command (CDOS), which stated, “There was an increase in incidents, but nothing significant to report,” according to a district command spokesperson.
Beyond the red alert for Porto district by the IPMA, forecasts of precipitation “especially through the morning” justify the orange alert in the districts of Braga, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Guarda, and Viseu, with Aveiro added while Beja has been removed from the list.
All districts of mainland Portugal will also experience a yellow alert due to wind, with “gusts up to 90 km/h, particularly along the coast and mountainous areas.” This alert will continue until 6:00 PM in coastal districts, and throughout the night in interior regions.
The Northern region is expected to be most affected by the passing post-tropical storm Gabrielle, but the IPMA noted some uncertainty about the storm’s trajectory, which initially impacted the Azores archipelago on Thursday.
The Azorean Civil Protection registered 196 occurrences in the archipelago without injuries, although 16 people required relocation, according to the latest morning report.
The Regional Government declared an alert from 6:00 PM Thursday to 6:00 PM today, closing services and imposing various prohibitions for the Western and Central groups, but the alert was lifted ahead of schedule. However, schools and public services remain closed.
