After the rain, frosty nights arrive in Portugal, the first in Kings
The first Atlantic front that was planned, associated with the first generalized ‘irrigation’ of the year, has already reached, this Tuesday, a large part of the territory of mainland Portugal. For what is left of today, only a few light showers, sporadic and dispersed throughout the territory are expected.. However, the weather will remain variable, alternating good open periods with cloudy periods.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, the polar air will be practically installed here, penetrating the entire continental territory in force. The drop in temperatures will be gentle, but noticeable across the country, being that in the interior territories it will be much more accentuated, especially in the North Region – Bragança and Vila Real, etc. In addition, a new frontal surface to the Northwest Minhoto, coming from the Atlantic, will arrive in mid-morning, which will unload rain on national soil. It will head south and east for hours at a time.
Polar air and likely snowfall
Polar air coming from the North, combined in altitude with exclusion and allied to the consequent drop in temperatures can cause a sporadic, temporary and residual snowfall in the highest points of the extreme north of mainland Portugal.
The European model anticipates this scenario for the Northeast Transmontano – that is, mountains in the districts of Bragança and Vila Real, and Gerês; and something can also fall to higher quotas in the Central Mountain Range (Serra da Estrela). A maximum temperature of 6 ºC and a minimum of 1 ºC is foreseen for both Bragança and Guarda.
The first night of 2022 with widespread frosts will be in the Kings
At dawn on Thursday (6), Twelfth Night, with the integrated polar installed almost throughout the country, we will feel the first “smell of winter” with the weather changing through the freezing temperatures, more notorious in the interior of the country thanks to the effect of continentality and the role played by orography, as well as the landscape changes due to the formation of ice sheets and frosts.
The districts of Braga, Bragança, Vila Real, Viseu and Guarda may be the most affected by frost, which is sometimes harmful to agricultural crops. The susceptibility of agricultural crops to frost varies with a type, and with the phenological stage of the plants at the time of occurrence.. The damage (burns) will be more severe and extensive the greater for a drop in temperature below a certain threshold.
In places located at mid-latitudes, in the case of mainland Portugal, the agriculture becomes a risky activity during the winter thanks to the appearance of low temperatures. The protection of plants and trees against the lethal effects caused by frost is an aggravating problem in agriculture, being sometimes, very complicated to prevent the death of plant tissues that are exposed to deposition of ice and frost in the open.
Twelfth Night will be authentically winter, with the thermometer being able to record negative temperatures in several Trás-os-Montes localities such as Vinhais, Vila Flor, Mogadouro and Alfândega da Fé. until Saturday the 8th, with negative minimums on that day in places like Montalegre, Chaves, Penedono, Vila Nova de Foz Côa and Guarda. Although no rain is expected from Twelfth onwards, and despite the formation of ice and frost; the intense cold, allied to the north flow (polar air), develop a chance to clear weather conditions, with a stable and predominantly sunny environment.
This will be the result of anticyclone that, ever closer to our country and through its high pressures, obstruct the path to the possible invasion of Atlantic depressions associated with the typical western zonal flow, preventing the arrival of rain. On the coast of the country and the Tagus to the south, despite the drop in temperatures, the thermal cold temperature will not be as intense.
Sunny but chilly weather with associated costs
However, the winter cold brings other complications for citizens. Plans for outdoor activities can maintain themselves as the climatological winter progresses towards the end of its first half, as long as you are properly wrapped up (a).
The energy cost associated with the cold can translate into greater financial effort. Driving vehicles will force drivers to be more cautious thanks to the formation of ice on the highways.
It’s time to go back to the typical winter clothing like coats, hats, scarves and gloves, especially in the interior lands, which will register a more harsh environment. Thanks to the cold, the use of energy equipment such as heaters, stoves and fireplaces will be more common, which will require a greater financial effort on the part of people, this being another of the complicated aspects associated with the cold.
In the same perspective, driving a car or other vehicles will require a lot of caution and attention. by users, especially on road floors conditioned by the ice formation.