Temperature drops, rain, and wind are set to define this Easter week, with unstable weather expected to persist until Monday, the 21st. Despite it being spring, the week began with weather warnings for rain and even snow, due to the successive passage of frontal systems.
The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) stated that rain is expected to continue until Easter Sunday across the mainland, with heightened intensity in the northern and central regions, and the highest accumulations in the mountainous areas of Minho.
Current forecasts suggest that Good Friday (April 18) will be the rainiest day, with heavy and widespread precipitation across mainland Portugal, due to a frontal system passing through. “However, precipitation is expected to persist through the following days, in the form of showers, becoming less likely in Baixo Alentejo and Algarve,” the IPMA detailed in a statement.
Following a significant temperature drop at the start of the week, temperatures are expected to remain relatively stable throughout the week, despite minor fluctuations.
Thursday is anticipated to be the warmest day, with maximum temperatures exceeding 20°C in some inland locations and in the southern region. In other regions, maximum temperatures are expected to range from 15 to 20°C.
As for minimum temperatures, a slight drop is expected over the weekend, with values between 10 to 15°C in most of the territory, but dropping below 10°C in inland areas, particularly in the northern and central regions.
In Madeira, temperatures are expected to remain relatively stable throughout the week, with highs between 20 and 22°C, and lows between 14 and 16°C, with lower values naturally in the highlands. In the Azores, where a “period of relatively good weather” is forecast for the Easter weekend, air temperatures should vary between 12°C and 13°C minimum, and between 18°C and 20°C maximum.
On the mainland, due to this weather situation, “temporary periods of strong winds may also occur, particularly starting on the 18th along the western coastal strip and in the highlands, although generally weak to moderate westerly winds will prevail,” it was noted.
Sea agitation on the western coast is expected to increase over the weekend, with northwest waves reaching up to 4 meters.
