Snow, rain and wind until Sunday: cold air mass drops temperatures across the country

Temperatures that were above the usual values ​​for the season drop to values ​​below

The cold is back across the country, with temperatures falling below normal levels for the season starting this Thursday and until Sunday, according to the forecast from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). ), which points to “a significant change in the weather” on the continent.

In addition to the “noticeable” drop in thermometers, which registered “values ​​above” what was expected, it will also rain – rain that may be accompanied by thunder and hail and “will be snow” in the highlands -, with the wind blowing strong, “with gusts of up to 60 km/h”, particularly on holidays.

“From the 25th, precipitation is expected, initially only in the North and Center, and generally weak, extending to the rest of the territory and intensifying on the 26th, due to the passage of a cold frontal surface”, explains the IPMA.

This change in weather “is due to a flow from the northern quadrant, transporting a colder air mass on the eastern flank of the anticyclone located in the North Atlantic, which will extend in a crest from the Azores region to Iceland, thus allowing the development and displacement of frontal disturbances to the Iberian Peninsula”.

After the passage of this system, the weather “will remain unstable”, at least until Sunday, “with the occurrence of showers, more frequent and intense in the North and Center regions”.

The drop in temperatures will be felt, above all, in the maximum temperatures, with minus 5ºC in the North and Center regions. “This decline should continue and extend to the entire territory gradually, until Sunday, with values ​​slightly lower than the average for the time of year.”

Over the weekend, “minimum temperatures below 10ºC are expected in most of the territory”, except in the Algarve, “being below 5°C in the North and Center interior”. Maximum temperatures should not exceed 20°C, except again in some parts of the south of the country, “and not exceed 15°C in many places in the North and Center”.

The IPMA also clarifies that due to the upcoming meteorological situation “warnings may be issued”.