Orange Weather Warnings Issued In Eight Regions As Portugal Braces Itself For Storm Bernard

AN orange alert has been issued for eight regions of Portugal on Sunday, October 22, as Storm Bernard approaches the country.

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) announced this measure on Friday afternoon, which applies to the central and southern parts of the territory.

André Fernandes, the national commander of ANEPC announced that Storm Bernard will travel across mainland Portugal from the southwest to the northeast on Sunday, according to cmjornal.pt.

‘It was decided to raise the special alert status of the integrated system for protection and relief operations to the orange level for eight sub-regions of the continent’, he explained.

‘This includes Lezíria do Tejo, Greater Lisbon, Península de Setúbal, Alto Alentejo, Alentejo Central, Baixo Alentejo, Alentejo Litoral and the Algarve, over a period of 24 hours, starting at midnight and ending at 11:59 pm tomorrow’, Fernandes added.

Orange alerts for rainfall south of the Tagus have been issued

The ANEPC official highlighted that the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) had issued orange meteorological warnings for rainfall south of the Tagus along with yellow alerts between the Douro and Tagus.

It had also issued orange warnings for the occurrence of wind with maximum gusts of up to 100 km/h for the Algarve region.

‘It is expected that there will also be the possibility of extreme wind phenomena south of the Tagus River, with greater incidence in Baixo Alentejo and the Algarve’, André Fernandes warned.

He also reported on warnings from the Portuguese Environment Agency regarding the likelihood of flooding in urban areas in Greater Lisbon and the Setúbal Peninsula.

Rivers across the country are expected to increase their flows

An increase in flows is expected in the Tagus river basin, in the Sorraia sub-basin, and in Amora and Coruche where there is the possibility of flooding, along with the Sado river basin, in Ribeira do Livramento, and also in Setúbal.

Flooding is also possible in the Algarve’s rivers he pointed out, especially in the urban areas which historically are most vulnerable to these phenomena.

Fernandes appealed to all citizens to adopt ‘self-protection measures’, particularly with regard to wind and intense rain in order to prevent flooding in urban areas and in the aforementioned river basins.

He advised members of the public to check: ‘everything that is suspended, including balconies, billboards and anything that could be affected by strong winds’.

Motorists are advised to take care on the roads on Sunday

During Sunday, precautions should also be taken when driving, with the commander suggesting ‘more defensive and preventive driving’, while also limiting travel to only that which is strictly necessary.

The greatest incidence of the adverse weather situation will be from midday on Sunday until late in the evening, around 11 pm, with conditions expected to worsen, particularly on Monday morning.

An orange warning is the second most serious on a scale of three and is issued whenever there is a ‘moderate to high-risk meteorological situation’.

A yellow warning is activated whenever there is a risk situation for certain activities dependent on the meteorological situation.