Nearly one-third of mainland Portugal’s weather stations exceeded or matched their previous highest recorded temperatures for June over the weekend, the IPMA reported.
On Sunday, Mora, Évora, recorded a new absolute high for June in mainland Portugal, reaching 46.6° Celsius.
The previous record was 44.9°, registered in Alcácer do Sal on June 17, 2017, as stated by the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA).
Besides Mora, 31 stations recorded or exceeded their highs. These include Alvega with 46° (previous high 45.4°), followed by Alvalade, Coruche, Tomar, Pegões, Avis, Mértola, Santarém, Amareleja, Reguengos, Beja, Proença a Nova, Zebreira, Alcoutim, Estremoz, Nelas, Chaves, Cabeceira de Bastos, Moimenta da Beira, Arouca, Cabril, Zambujeira, Vila Real, Viseu, Pampilhosa da Serra, Vinhais, Lamas de Mouro, Foía and Montalegre, which reached 34.4° (previous high was 34° on June 20, 2003).
Portalegre’s station also surpassed its previous absolute record for minimum air temperature in June, at 31.5° on Sunday.
Data from the IPMA on Sunday showed that about 82% of weather stations recorded maximum air temperatures over 35°C, and approximately 37% exceeded 40°C.
This analysis is based on IPMA’s network of 90 automatic meteorological stations across the mainland.
From Friday to Monday, several districts were under red alert, the highest level, due to soaring temperatures caused by hot air masses from North Africa, resulting in very hot and dry weather conditions.
The affected districts included Lisbon, Setúbal, Santarém, Évora, Beja, Castelo Branco, and Portalegre.
