For the districts of Setúbal, Évora, and Beja, the weather alert is effective from 9:00 AM on Wednesday until 6:00 PM on Thursday, as announced by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) today.
In Lisbon, the alert is in place from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Thursday due to expected hot weather, with “persistent high maximum temperature values.”
Over the weekend, the IPMA had already indicated a gradual rise in temperatures starting Tuesday across continental Portugal, increasing the risk of rural fires, with maximum risk levels potentially affecting some southern districts.
An IPMA statement highlights that temperatures are “already above the normal climatic values for May in most of the territory and are expected to gradually rise, more significantly on the 29th and 30th.”
Thus, starting Tuesday, maximum temperatures are expected to exceed 30°C across the general territory, with the exception of some areas along the western coastal strip, and exceed 35°C in the Southern region and Tejo Valley.
Minimum temperatures will also rise, although values below 10°C are still expected in certain northern and central regions until Monday, gradually increasing to above 15°C throughout the country during the week.
These meteorological conditions will lead to a gradual increase in the Rural Fire Danger (PIR), with high or very high PIR ratings gradually extending to most regions and maximum PIR ratings affecting some southern districts, resulting in restrictions on allowed activities in rural areas, the alert noted.
According to IPMA, the ongoing hot and dry weather is due to a hot air mass from North Africa, predicting clear or mostly clear skies. However, some cloudiness may occur during early mornings in the North and Center regions, especially in the first days of the week and along the coast.
Northern quadrant winds will persist, light to moderate, temporarily shifting to the east quadrant during early mornings, occasionally strong on the western coast and highlands, especially in the afternoon. The trend will shift towards weakening and a greater predominance of eastern quadrant winds on the 29th and 30th, days when the transport of the hot and dry air mass will be more notable.
The ultraviolet radiation index will remain very high, as expected at this time of year near the summer solstice and due to a lack of cloud cover.
