The weather keeps us wondering: what’s coming next? The first three weeks of this month made it the wettest March on record in the Algarve. Then, as it so often does, the weather changed dramatically, bringing beautiful blue skies and sunshine in recent days.
March’s heavy rainfall significantly raised water levels in the Algarve’s reservoirs, though not as dramatically as elsewhere in Portugal, where some reservoirs reportedly reached 80% capacity, with some even overflowing.
Amid the downpours, Storm Marinho swept in from the Azores Archipelago, bringing winds of up to 159 kilometres per hour (nearly 100 miles per hour). Some large trees and unstable structures were brought down, but according to the National Civil Protection Agency, there was no substantial damage to buildings.
It was only in January last year that the Algarve faced one its most severe droughts in recent years. The government declared a state of alert and adopted a series of measures, to curb both farming and domestic water consumption. Extreme or severe droughts occur in Portugal every decade or less.
Spring (Primavera in Portuguese) officially starts on 21 March. So, what will the weather be like this year until the arrival of summer on 21 June? In Portugal, the average temperature ranges from 11 C (52F) to 22C (72F) at this time of the year. Spring in the Algarve is comfortably warm and bright, with just occasional showers in April and May.
Summer, on the other hand, is a different story. While visitors from the north usually welcome June's warmth, July and August have been sizzling hot in recent years – likely a consequence of the Global Warming crisis. There is little reason to expect that this summer will be any different, with temperatures once again expected to soar well into the 30sC (high 80sF). By then, cool rain will be a distant memory.
Written by Len Port - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
