The Portuguese Government has approved the declaration of a state of calamity in the areas worst affected by Storm Kristin, principally in the districts of Leiria and Coimbra. A state of calamity may be declared when, in the event or imminent risk of a serious accident and/or catastrophe, there is a recognised need to adopt exceptional measures to restore normality in the affected areas.
Since Wednesday, following the passage of Storm Kristin, the local authorities of Leiria, Castelo Branco, Nazaré, Figueiró dos Vinhos, and Ferreira do Zêzere have called for the declaration of a state of calamity, arguing that the damage suffered in their regions requires “extraordinary support mechanisms”.
Portuguese civil protection law establishes three levels of risk: a state of alert, a state of contingency, and a state of calamity, the latter being the highest level of intervention.
This comes as geographer Alfredo Graça, of the Meteored meteorological entity, has today warned that extreme weather events such as Storm Kristin might be set to become recurrent in Portugal in the near future..
According to Graça, who is editor-in-chief at the meteorology entity, at issue is the interaction between warm and cold air masses, intensified by a high-pressure blocking pattern between Greenland and Scandinavia, which diverts the polar jet stream towards mainland Portugal or its immediate vicinity.
Short and medium-term forecasts point to a continuation of the rainfall trend, at least during the first half of February, which could facilitate the arrival of new “depressions”, such as Kristin, and associated weather fronts.
Accumulated rainfall is expected to be significant in several regions of Portugal, particularly in the North and Centre, as well as in areas more exposed to westerly and south-westerly winds.
Moreover, on Wednesday, ten meteorological stations in mainland Portugal recorded wind gusts exceeding 120 kilometres per hour, with the strongest reaching 208.8 km/h in Degracias, in the municipality of Soure, Coimbra.
A source from the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) said the data had been reported on its website but stressed to press that it still requires official validation.
“This is a station belonging to the Coimbra Intermunicipal Community, integrated into our network,” the source said, adding that stations do not always operate under exactly the same parameters and that, for comparison purposes, equivalent conditions must be ensured.
The same source acknowledged that the gust recorded in Soure may be the strongest so far, but cautioned that other gusts, potentially even more intense, may have occurred.
The source also noted that the station is located at an altitude of 524 metres, a factor that has a “significant impact in terms of wind”.
Source: JN / Meteored
