ARCHIVE – Large waves crash against a lighthouse near Nazaré on the coast of Portugal in 2024. Photo: Michael Probst/AP/dpa
Keystone
Portugal, which has already been hit hard by three winter storms, has prepared for further storms with flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The national weather service Ipma warned that from Sunday evening, an Atlantic depression would bring heavy rainfall, which could turn into snow at higher altitudes, as well as stormy winds and high waves on the coasts.
And another rain front was expected as early as Tuesday evening. The authorities called on people to move their belongings, cars and livestock to safety from low-lying areas along rivers and near reservoirs in good time. Flooding was particularly expected along the Mondego, Douro, Águeda and Tejo rivers.
Meteorologists are particularly concerned that the soil is already very saturated from the rainfall of the previous storms and can hardly absorb any additional water. This increases the risk of landslides. In addition, dams are already full to the brim and have to release water for safety reasons, which could lead to further flooding, reported state TV station RTP.
Storms with wind speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour
Three severe storms have already swept across Portugal in the past ten days. By far the most devastating was the storm “Kristin”, which hit the center of the country last Wednesday and caused severe devastation. Wind speeds of more than 200 kilometers per hour were measured, which is usually seen with tropical cyclones in other regions of the world.
At least five people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands of households were temporarily without power and internet. Traffic was severely disrupted by fallen trees, flooding and landslides. Thousands of roofs were damaged, allowing rainwater to enter buildings unhindered.
Storm lows continue to move towards Spain
On Sunday, 180,000 households and businesses were still without power, and in many places telephone and internet connections were not yet working again. A state of emergency was declared for around 60 municipalities to enable faster assistance.
From Portugal, the Atlantic storm lows are moving further east towards Spain, where they could cause cold, wet and uncomfortable winter weather. On Mallorca, however, the Germans’ favorite vacation island, the sun was still shining for the most part on Sunday with pleasant temperatures of up to 16 degrees. However, according to the national weather service Aemet, there could be showers again in the coming week. And some beaches and harbor piers were still in danger from high waves.