The severe weather that struck Madeira during the previous night led to the recording of 850 lightning strikes within a span of one and a half hours, as confirmed by the site of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
The IPMA no longer allows for detailed consultation of the night-time data—only the most recent hours are available—but reports indicate that the 850 lightning strikes were recorded between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
In total, between midnight and 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, 2,244 atmospheric electrical discharges were recorded. Among these discharges, 143 were positive, which are considered the most dangerous.
Regarding incidents, the Civil Protection of Madeira recorded 26 occurrences during the night due to bad weather, which caused flooding, landslides, and led to the closure of a section of the expressway in the municipality of Ribeira Brava.
Ribeira Brava, where the Expressway 4 section at Serra de Água is closed due to total obstruction, was the municipality with the most incidents (13), followed by Santa Cruz (five), Funchal (four), Câmara de Lobos (two), Ponta do Sol (one), and Machico (one).
The Madeira archipelago has been previously under an orange warning due to heavy precipitation and is currently under a yellow warning, valid until 9:00 p.m., according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
