The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has raised the alert level due to hot weather in two districts for tomorrow. Lisbon and Setúbal are now under a ‘red’ warning for extreme heat.
Due to high temperatures, a reassessment was conducted. Initially, IPMA had indicated that seven districts would be ‘red’ today and five on Monday. However, this afternoon, the alert levels have aligned.
Consequently, similar to this Sunday, districts under maximum alert until 9 PM Monday are: Santarém, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Évora, Beja, and following the update, also Setúbal and Lisbon.
What to expect for Monday?
Despite the high temperatures, the sky will not be clear throughout the country, as districts like Santarém and Portalegre are expected to experience showers or possible thunderstorms.
Rain and showers are also expected in the Coimbra region, with partially cloudy skies likely to extend to Aveiro and Guarda as well.
As for maximum temperatures, several districts are expected to exceed 40ºC, particularly in Ribatejo and Alentejo where temperatures could reach the highest levels: Évora, Beja, and Santarém are expected to reach 43ºC, with Beja seeing a minimum temperature of 23ºC, which is higher than Évora and Santarém at 22ºC.
In the capital, temperatures should also surpass 40ºC, potentially reaching 41ºC.
In mainland Portugal, Aveiro is predicted to be the ‘coolest’ district with a maximum temperature of 23ºC.
What was the highest temperature on Sunday?
The highest temperature recorded today was 46.6º Celsius in Mora, Évora district, close to the country’s absolute maximum of 47.3 degrees in Amareleja (Beja) on August 1, 2003, according to IPMA.
“So far, the highest temperature today, until now, [was] 46.6ºC in Mora,” stated meteorologist Alexandra Fonseca of the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere to Lusa, noting that these are preliminary figures pending confirmation by the Climate Division.
According to Alexandra Fonseca, that value was recorded at 3:30 PM.
On Saturday, temperatures reached 45.4ºC in Alvega, Abrantes, in the Santarém district.
Regarding the maximum temperature for June, “the record until today was slightly lower, at 44.9ºC, in Alcácer do Sal [Setúbal district], on June 17, 2017,” she stated.
Alexandra Fonseca also mentioned that by Monday, “there will already be a decrease [in temperatures] in some parts of the country, however, the decrease is not very significant.”
“The change will be noticeable mainly on the Central coastal strip, and therefore, the country, especially in the Interior, will continue with these high temperatures,” she said.
The IPMA meteorologist explained that “despite a decrease of one or two degrees, in the Interior, those temperatures will remain high,” justifying the red alert issued by the IPMA.
