The IPMA highlights the occurrence of a cold wave in about 15% of the weather stations and that covered some locations in the Northeast region, the Central coast region and the South coast.
The month of January was classified as warm, despite the occurrence of a cold wave between the 23rd and 29th, and the percentage of water in the soil decreased in most of the country, indicated this Thursday the IPMA.
In January’s climatological bulletin, the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) states that in the first month of the year there was some “variability in the air temperature values”, having registered “temperature values almost always above normal” for this month and in the period from the 7th to the 17th and on the 20th and 21st there were “warm days and nights for the season”.
However, according to the IPMA, from day 22 there was a sharp drop in temperature, especially the minimum temperature, with the occurrence of cold nights, and the average minimum temperature on days 26, 30 and 31 was below zero degrees Celsius (°C).
“In January, in mainland Portugal, the average air temperature was 9.14°C, with an anomaly of 0.33°C above the standard value. Values of average air temperature higher than this month occurred in 30% of the years since 1931,” says the document, noting that the occurrence of “warm days and nights” between 07 and 21, especially in the central and southern regions, “only occur in 10% of cases.
The IPMA highlights the occurrence of a cold wave in about 15% of the weather stations and that covered some locations in the Northeast region, the Central coastal region and the South coast.
According to that institute, this wave occurred between January 23 and 29, and in some places it extended into February.
IPMA states that “the occurrence of cold is a phenomenon that can occur at any time of year, but is more notorious and sometimes has adverse impacts, for example on health, in the winter months.
The report also indicates that the month of January is characterized as normal with regard to rainfall, with a total precipitation of 104.1 millimeters, which corresponds to 89% “of the normal value.
The IPMA highlights that, between 2017 and 2022, the monthly precipitation values in January were “always lower than the normal value”.
The Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere points out that, during the month of January, there were on 01, 07, 08, 16 and 17, “periods of rain or showers, sometimes strong, especially in the northern and central regions.
Regarding the accumulated precipitation since October 1, 2022, the IPMA indicates that the values of this hydrological year are “higher than normal in the North and Center and Alto Alentejo region, with emphasis on the northern coast and high-altitude areas of the Center region”, while in the Baixo Alentejo region and Algarve, the water in the dams is “below average.
The same document also highlights that it verified, in January, a decrease in the percentage of water in the soil in most of the territory, but with “more expression” in the South region, where it highlights some places in Baixo Alentejo and Algarve with values below 40%.
The report also indicates that at the end of January there was a slight increase in the area in weak drought (the least severe drought class of the PDSI index) in Baixo Alentejo and Algarve, while the Northern, Central and Upper Alentejo regions remain in the rainfall classes (weak, moderate, severe and extreme).
