Portugal prepares for rising temperatures and likely heatwave
In Portugal, temperatures could approach 38°C in the Alentejo and the Tagus Valley, driven by an anticyclone positioned to the north of the Azores.
Portugal anticipates a series of warmer-than-average temperatures beginning this Saturday, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The organization has expressed concerns that the weather conditions may escalate to a heatwave across large portions of the nation. The IPMA defines a heatwave as six consecutive days with maximum air temperatures at least 5 °C higher than the average daily maximum temperatures.
Expect temperatures to soar above 30 °C in various regions, with some areas potentially reaching up to 38 °C. Even minimum temperatures will rise, remaining above 20 °C in certain parts of Alto Alentejo, Beira Baixa, the Tagus valley, and the eastern Algarve. While these forecasted temperatures are not as extreme as some recorded this summer, they are significantly higher than the usual pattern for late September.
The root cause of this heat is an anticyclone situated north of the Azores, extending as a ridge towards the Bay of Biscay. This system will carry a mass of hot, dry continental air over the Iberian Peninsula. In July, Portugal experienced unusually high temperatures, with red warnings issued for most of the country and a state of alert declared by the government.
This pattern of extreme heat also spread across mainland Europe in July, with Climate Central reporting that the continent was the most abnormally warm region on Earth. Nearly nine out of ten Europeans endured an entire month of hazardous heat.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
