The Madeira archipelago and mainland Portugal are currently experiencing severe weather conditions due to depression Emilia, characterized by strong winds, snowfall, and heavy rain.
The maritime disturbance, as clarified by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) in a statement, is not directly linked to depression Emilia, having been caused by other deep low-pressure systems in the North Atlantic.
The northern coast of Madeira and Porto is on orange alert, escalating to red alert from 21:00 today until 18:00 on Saturday due to wave conditions, with expected waves measuring 7 to 7.5 meters and possibly reaching a maximum height of 14 meters.
The Madeira archipelago is also under an orange warning due to strong to very strong north winds in the eastern and western extremities, with gusts up to 110 kilometers per hour from 12:00 today until 18:00 on Saturday.
For mountainous regions of Madeira, IPMA has issued a yellow snow warning for altitudes above 1,500 meters from 09:00 today until 09:00 on Saturday.
In mainland Portugal, IPMA has issued an orange alert for the districts of Porto, Faro, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Leiria, Beja, Aveiro, Coimbra, and Braga from 18:00 today until 09:00 on Saturday, anticipating northwest waves of 5 to 6 meters, potentially reaching a maximum height of 11 meters.
These districts will then shift to a yellow warning due to sea conditions from 09:00 to 18:00 on Saturday.
An orange warning has also been issued for Castelo Branco and Guarda due to expected snowfall above 1,400/1,600 meters until 00:00 on Saturday.
A yellow alert is in place for the districts of Guarda, Santarém, Lisbon, Leiria, Castelo Branco, and Coimbra until 15:00 today and Évora, Faro, Setúbal, Beja, and Portalegre until 18:00 today due to rain, which might be locally intense.
The red alert is the most severe, indicating extreme conditions, while the orange alert is issued for moderate to high-risk scenarios, and the yellow alert signals a risk for specific weather-dependent activities.
