Rain is present on the first day of 2023 in mainland Portugal
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) forecasts sometimes heavy rain in Minho and Douro Litoral from Saturday afternoon, extending conservation to the rest of the mainland on Sunday, the first day of 2023.
In the information released on its website about the period of New Year’s Eve, the IPMA indicates that the weather on the continent and on the islands will be affected by “a cold frontal surface of moderate to strong activity, associated with a depression centered in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula”.
“It is expected periods of rain that may be sometimes heavy in Minho and Douro Litoral from the end of December 31st, coinciding with New Year’s Eve, and the rain will extend to the rest of the territory from the morning of the day 1”, is mentioned in a communiqué about the continent.
The rain should affect the southern region “only in the afternoon of the 1st, gradually changing to a shower regime”, and will decrease in intensity and frequency.
Despite the rain, there are currently no forecast weather warnings for the weekend — the active warnings are yellow (the lowest level) and end on Friday morning, covering the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Vila real, Porto, Aveiro, Viseu and Coimbra.
Due to the passage of the cold frontal surface, the forecast is that the wind will increase in intensity, predominantly from the southwest.
There should be strong winds on the west coast and in the highlands of the North and Center regions, “with gusts of up to 70 kilometers/hour and 90 kilometers/hour, respectively”.
“Temperatures will remain low, with maximum temperatures varying between 14 and 19 degrees Celsius and minimum temperatures varying between 7 and 14 degrees Celsius”, describes the IPMA.
There is also the possibility that the sea will “temporarily increase” on Sunday, up to a significant height of 4.5 meters, north of Cape Mondego.
For Madeira, the IPMA also predicts a change between Friday and Sunday, light to moderate wind (sometimes blowing strongly in the highlands) and mild temperatures, with maximums of 20 to 22 degrees Celsius and minimums of 17 to 18 degrees.
In the Azores, however, there is a drop in temperatures, with the minimums around 08/09 degrees and the maximums reaching 14/15 degrees.
On Friday, the Central and Eastern groups will be hardest hit by the rain associated with the passage of the cold frontal surface and the wind will blow very fresh to strong, with gusts between 70 and 80 kilometers per hour, then becoming moderate to fresh .
Over the weekend, showers should occur on the new islands. The wind will initially blow fresh to very fresh (gusts between 60 and 70 kilometers per hour) and will change to fair to moderate on Sunday.