This Thursday and Friday may be marked by wind, precipitation, and thunderstorms, according to the latest update from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA).
A depression centered to the west of the mainland territory and a “depression valley at altitude moving south/southwest” may lead to scattered showers occurring this Thursday, more likely in the interior of the country. These may be accompanied by thunderstorms and “convective gusts.”
This situation, described by the IPMA as “atmospheric instability,” along with the fires that have ravaged the country since last Sunday, may generate “pyrocumulus” type clouds, with the potential to alter “the local wind regime.”
These meteorological changes associated with precipitation could pose problems for regions that have become vulnerable after the fires: the risk of runoff or landslides, as a consequence of the loss of vegetation cover.
On the 20th, Friday, strong showers are expected, particularly in the Northern and Central regions, especially in Minho and Douro Litoral and in mountainous areas. Aveiro, Braga, Porto, and Viana do Castelo are under a yellow warning. Thunderstorms may occur, although it is unlikely.
As a consequence of the fires and given the wind conditions, air quality remains compromised due to a “plume of ash of enormous dimensions.”