Almost the entire territory of mainland Portugal today presented a ‘maximum’, ‘very high’ or ‘high risk of fire, according to the Institute of Sea and Atmosphere, on a day in which the country has been subjected to high temperatures, thunderstorms, and strong wind.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), more than 100 municipalities in the northern and central interiors are at maximum risk, though especially in the mainland districts of Bragança, Vila Real, Aveiro, Coimbra, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Leiria, Santarém and Faro.
The IPMA placed a ‘very high’ and ‘high’ risk of fire in almost all other municipalities from north to south of the country, with the exception of around 20 coastal municipalities in the districts of Lisbon, Setúbal, Coimbra, Braga, Porto and Aveiro.
The fire risk, which will remain high throughout this week, is determined by the IPMA and has five levels, ranging from reduced to maximum. Calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.
A state of alert in mainland Portugal due to weather forecasts, which increase the risk of rural fire, has been prolonged until the end of today.
The IPMA today foresees favourable conditions for the occurrence of showers and thunderstorms, especially in the interior, throughout the week, and sometimes strong wind in the highlands of the Southern region. The maximum temperatures are expected to rise today to 37º (Évora and Santarém) and the minimum will not drop below 16º (Aveiro, Porto and Viana do Castelo).
