Bad weather continues in Portugal, with the arrival of the storm "Elsa". Five districts of mainland Portugal are indeed on orange alert this Wednesday because of the forecast of heavy persistent rains which could be accompanied by thunderstorms, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA). The regions of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Vila Real and Aveiro will be under orange alert between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 0 a.m. Thursday. The rain also led the IPMA to issue a yellow warning for the districts of Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Coimbra and Leiria until 3 am Thursday. Strong winds will also be there. What is the weather forecast for Portugal for the next few days? Which regions are affected by the yellow and orange alerts? Lisbob, the expatriate assistant to Portugal, tells you all about the warning issued by the IPMA.
Gusts up to 110km / h
IPMA has issued a yellow alert for the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Vila Real, Aveiro, Bragança, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco and Coimbra due to strong gusts of up to 85 km / h , especially on the coast, and up to 110 km/h in the highlands. This yellow alert will be in effect between 3 p.m. Wednesday and 9 p.m. Thursday.
Also under yellow alert, the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria and Lisbon will however be due to the heavy swell, forecasting west / southwest waves of 4 to 5 meters up to 6 Thursday morning hours.
The IPMA has also placed the mountainous regions of Madeira Island under yellow warning due to strong gusts of wind reaching up to 95 km / h between Wednesday noon and midnight Thursday.
As a reminder, the orange alert, the third on a scale of four, applies to moderate to high risk weather situations, while the yellow alert results in risk situations for certain outdoor activities.
Elsa's depression causes maritime agitation in the Azores
An exceptional worsening of the swell conditions in the Azores archipelago is expected between Wednesday and Thursday, with a particular focus on the western and central islands due to the "Elsa" depression, announced the Portuguese National Maritime Authority (AMN) . "The maritime agitationwill be characterized by waves of significant height up to ten meters and with an average period of ripple ranging from 14 to 15 seconds. Wind speeds may exceed 75 km / h and gusts above 90 km / h, "said the AMN in a statement.
The AMN and the Portuguese Navy strongly recommend, particularly to the fishing and boating community at sea, to return to the nearest safe harbor and to take all necessary precautionary measures.
"It is recommended that the marine community plan and take precautionary measures in a timely manner, which may include checking and strengthening moorings, putting boats dry in a safe place, even away from the ramps themselves".