Bad weather: IPMA increases the districts under orange warning to ten

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) increased this Tuesday from seven to ten the districts on the continent that will be under orange warning due to the forecast of strong sea agitation, with waves that can reach twelve meters.

Porto, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Leiria, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga were already under orange warning, but IPMA has now also added the districts of Faro, Setúbal and Beja due to the state of the sea.

These ten districts will be under orange warning between 3pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday, before returning to orange warning between 3am on Thursday and 00am on Friday.

The North Coast of Madeira Island and Porto will also be under yellow warning between 3am and 9am this Tuesday and between 6am and 7pm on Thursday due to sea unrest.

The IPMA also placed the districts of Bragança, Viseu, Porto, Guarda, Faro, Vila Real, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Leiria, Beja, Castelo Branco, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga under yellow warning between 12:00 and 18:00 on Wednesday due to the forecast of strong winds from the southwest, with gusts of up to 85 kilometers per hour.

The districts of Viseu, Guarda, Santarém, Lisbon, Leiria, Castelo Branco and Coimbra will also be under yellow warning between 9am and 6pm on Wednesday due to persistent, sometimes heavy rain.

IPMA also issued a yellow warning for the districts of Bragança, Viseu, Porto, Guarda, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, Leiria, Castelo Branco, Aveiro, Coimbra and Braga due to the forecast of snowfall above 600/800 meters, with accumulation above 800/1000 meters between 9am this Tuesday and 9am Wednesday.

The orange warning is issued by IPMA whenever there is a “moderate to high risk meteorological situation and the yellow warning when there is a risk situation for certain activities dependent on the meteorological situation”.

The worsening of weather conditions in the coming days, with rain and strong wind, sea disturbances and snowfall, led the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) to alert the population to take preventive measures.

ANEPC warns that slippery road surfaces are expected, due to the accumulation of ice, snow and the formation of water sheets, as well as snowfall in areas and altitudes «where it does not usually occur».