Polar weekend leaves Portugal “shivering” from the cold
In recent weeks the weather has been in the news for several reasons, and one of them will be, without a doubt, thanks to the rain that watered two of the most regional regions by the drought in mainland Portugal (Alentejo and Algarve). However, according to official data, an extreme drought class of the PDSI index can’t make a map of our continental geography.
After the media coverage caused by drought, dust and hail, the weather will be news again in the next few days, thanks to the polar air, exactly coinciding with the configuration of April.
Also noteworthy are the worrying Sahara dustabove all the most potent of all, unleashed by the storm celia in the middle of the month and, finally, the intense hailstorm which this week was the subject of media attention in several locations in the interior of the country, with emphasis on the Covilhã. In the next few days, coinciding with the april boot, the weather is back in the news because of the polar air.
Thursday with variable weather… waiting for the winter cold
Today there was an weak showersall over the country, but distributed in a very irregular way thanks to the passage of atlantic front, from northwest to southeast. The North and Center regions were the most affected by rain, especially north of the Montejunto-Estrela mountain rangewho, nevertheless, managed to reach the Algarve.
With low temperaturesand the existence of in altitudethere were also conditions for the fall of snow and formation of ice until mid-afternoon, at the highest points in the districts of Guard and White Castle (Star Mountain). Also, thanks to the cold, as frosts reappear in points in the extreme north of Trás-os-Montes and Douro. Diurnal conditions to be lowered, in generalnight cooling will be more noticeable.
Tomorrow the cold air mass will invade us
Tomorrow, the Atlantic front will be far away, the wind will blow strong from the north quadrant – to feel the heat of the aggravated cold-, It is like temperatures will suffer a general fallmuch more pronounced in the interior North and Center of the country.
With the present presence colossal polar air mass that will “embrace” all of Europethere will be a risk of further formation of ice and frosts, more likely in the inland regions of mainland Portugal (Northeast Transmontano, Beiras and Serra da Estrela and Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro). This could be dangerous for the road driving and harmful to agricultural crops.
On Saturday the 2nd, like Friday, despite being cold, the weather will be sunny, but it will gradually become cloudy with high clouds, especially in the Center and South of the countrygenerated by the approach of a storm that will reach a Azores, wood and canaries.
This day, be careful with the minimum temperatures that will drop significantly again from north to south of the country. The thermometer will drop to -3°C in Bragança and Guarda, 0 ºC in Vila Real, 1 ºC in Braga and Viseu, 2 ºC in Castelo Branco and 3 ºC in Portalegre. It will stay at 4ºC in most of the remaining districts, such as Porto or Évora, and only in Setúbal and Lisbon the minimum temperature variations of 5ºC. it is expected frosts extensive to power a good part of the countryside. Even so, the affected area will not be larger than the effect of maritime and orography.
On Sunday there is the possibility, albeit remote, of scattered drizzles in the north of the country. They may be in the form of snow in high points of the mountainous north end. Also as clouds will be more preponderant than the periods of sun to April 3day on which it is expected slight rise in highs in mainland Portugal.
Azores and Madeira, waiting for another storm
initially, a front connected to a low pressure center that is not yet available in the Atlantic official the Azores archipelago. Afterwards, the storm, already more organized in the southeast, will move to become more powerful and reaching Madeira and Canaries.
It is very likely a heavy rain storms, with occasional gusts 60 km/h and conditions conditional on the occurrence of thunderstorms. The most critical day in Madeira will be next Sunday, April 3rd.