Post-Tropical Storm Gabrielle Unleashes Heavy Rain and Strong Winds on Portugal's Northwest

Weather Alert: Post-Tropical Storm Gabrielle Approaches

The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) forecasts increasing cloudiness from the afternoon, with periods of rain, sometimes heavy in the North and Central coastal regions. This will be accompanied by an intensification of wind on the west coast and in highlands, along with a drop in maximum temperatures.

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Detailed Forecast for Saturday

Meteorological predictions for this Saturday warn of the approach of post-tropical storm Gabrielle, which will leave cloudy skies in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and abundant high clouds in the rest of the territory.

The sky will tend to become cloudy, especially in northern Portugal and Galicia, with precipitation and storms that could be locally strong by the end of the day as Gabrielle nears the Iberian Peninsula.

The IPMA expects the sky to be partly cloudy, generally very cloudy on the North and Central coasts until early morning, gradually becoming very cloudy from the coast inland from early afternoon. There is a possibility of thunderstorms in these areas of the country by the end of the day.

Wind will be weak to moderate (up to 30 km/h) from the south quadrant, becoming moderate to strong (30 to 45 km/h) in highlands and on the west coast from the afternoon, with gusts up to 80 km/h, especially late in the day.

Regarding sea conditions on the West coast, waves from the northwest at 1 meter are expected to gradually evolve to west/southwest waves of 1.5 to 2.5 meters, increasing to 4 to 5 meters from late afternoon.

Civil Protection Warnings

The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) issued a warning to the population on Friday about strong wind, maritime agitation, and rain this weekend in mainland Portugal, due to meteorological instability caused by cyclone Gabrielle, which has since been downgraded to a post-tropical storm.

Gabrielle, which already affected the Azores archipelago with cyclone intensity, will bring strong winds. Combined with dry and hot terrain, this could provoke rural fires, ANEPC emphasized.

In light of these forecasts, ANEPC appealed to the population for "strict compliance with rural fire prevention rules", due to Very High and Maximum risk in the North, Center, and Algarve regions. They reminded that, according to current legal provisions, extensive burning and pile burning are prohibited.