With depression Emília approaching the country, particularly affecting the Madeira archipelago, it is expected that the severe weather will disrupt air connections to the region.
For this reason, TAP announced on Thursday that its operations “to/from Funchal may be affected by adverse weather conditions.”
Therefore, the airline is allowing passengers “with tickets to/from Funchal issued up to December 11, for flights on December 12 and 13” to change their tickets for flights on subsequent days, up to December 20, “in the same cabin, without any penalty”. Customers wishing to do so can make the change on the company’s website, under the “Manage Booking” section or through their travel agency.
For other passengers, TAP advises checking the status of their flight online before heading to the airport.
In the Madeira archipelago, depression Emília will cause an “increase in wind intensity from the north quadrant, with strong to very strong winds, especially in highlands, where gusts will reach up to 130 km/h, and in the eastern and western extremities of Madeira Island, with gusts up to 110 km/h, as well as in Porto Santo Island, with gusts between 80 and 100 km/h.”
For this reason, IPMA has issued orange warnings, with the most severe period expected between late morning on Friday, December 12, and late afternoon on Saturday, December 13.
Sea agitation will also increase significantly, with north waves between 6 and 7.5 meters, potentially reaching maximum heights of 14 meters. The north coast of the island will, therefore, be under a red warning during the early hours of Saturday. The south coast will be more sheltered, but in the western part, waves between 4 and 6 meters in height may occur, with an orange warning issued.
As for rain, Madeira will not be spared. Precipitation will be “temporarily strong as a frontal surface passes during the night of the 12th to the 13th, transitioning to showers that will be more frequent and intense on the north coast of Madeira Island and highlands, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunderstorms.”
After the passage of the cold front, temperatures are expected to drop, especially in highlands, “with showers potentially occurring as snow above 1500 meters elevation between the morning of the 12th and the morning of the 13th,” prompting a yellow warning for potential snowfall during this period, “with accumulations of up to 10 cm at the highest points.”
