The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) reports that several municipalities in the northern and central interior and the Algarve face a very high risk of rural fire.
The IPMA calculates that the risk of rural fires will begin to rise throughout the week and at least until the start of next week.
This risk, assessed by the IPMA, is categorized into five levels, ranging from low to maximum. The calculations are based on air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and the amount of precipitation over the past 24 hours.
The IPMA forecasts a rise in temperatures starting Thursday, with some regions of mainland Portugal, particularly the interior, exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
“It is expected that the anticyclone located southwest of the Azores region will gradually move east/northeast, intensifying and gradually extending its crest towards the Bay of Biscay from the 24th, and eventually to Central Europe from the 25th or 26th,” the IPMA stated in a communiqué.
The institute further explains that this situation, combined with a depression region between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, results in the transport of warm and dry air masses over mainland Portugal, which from the 26th onwards are likely to also affect the Madeira archipelago.
Consequently, a significant rise in air temperature is expected from Thursday, with maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C across much of the mainland, reaching 40°C in some locations, specifically in the southern interior and the Tagus Valley.
Minimum temperatures are expected to surpass 20°C in some interior areas, particularly in the southern region, Tagus Valley, and Beira Baixa.
The forecast also indicates an intensification of wind in the western coastal strip and highlands from Wednesday, with moderate to strong northerly/northwesterly winds, occasionally gusty.
In the Madeira archipelago, maximum temperatures “may hover around or even exceed 30°C, especially on the southern slope and in mountainous regions.”
