Évora, Faro, Setúbal, Beja, and Portalegre had already been placed under an orange warning due to “the persistence of high maximum temperature values” between midnight Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.
Between 9 a.m. Friday and midnight Saturday, these five districts are under a yellow warning.
In a statement released late today, IPMA has also issued an orange warning for Bragança, Viseu, Guarda, Vila Real, Santarém, Lisbon, and Castelo Branco, in effect between midnight and 5 p.m. Sunday.
These seven districts, along with Porto, Viana do Castelo, Leiria, Aveiro, and Coimbra, are under a yellow warning from 9 a.m. Friday to midnight Sunday.
The orange warning, the second most severe on a three-level scale, is issued by IPMA when there is a “moderate to high risk weather situation,” while the yellow, the least severe, indicates a risk to certain activities dependent on the weather situation.
IPMA forecasts a gradual rise in temperatures starting today, with a rise of around 10 degrees Celsius expected through the weekend, with maximums above 40 degrees in some regions.
The institute states that the weather in mainland Portugal and the Madeira archipelago will be influenced by a high-pressure system positioned north of the Iberian Peninsula and a low-pressure trough which will cause a warm air mass from northern Africa to approach.
In the mainland, temperatures will gradually increase, with the highest values expected from Saturday, ranging from 35 to 40°C in most areas, except in some locations on the northern and central coast, and values between 40 and 44°C in the south, the Tagus Valley, and the Douro Valley.
The minimum temperature will be close to 20°C in much of the territory, particularly in the south, where it may not drop below 25°C in some places, namely in the Algarve coast and Portalegre region.
IPMA also expects the presence of suspended dust in the southern region from this afternoon, extending to the rest of the territory in the following days.
In the Madeira archipelago, the maximum temperature will also increase gradually over the next few days, with the most significant rise expected in the highlands of Madeira Island, where values between 26 and 28°C are expected on Saturday and Sunday.
The minimum temperature on the southern coast and Porto Santo Island should not be below 20°C, known as tropical nights.
On the northern coast and highlands, the minimum temperature should range between 14 and 18°C.
According to IPMA, the duration of this hot weather episode remains uncertain but is likely to continue into the beginning of July, especially in the southern region.
