Fires. 20 municipalities in six districts at high risk

Twenty municipalities in the districts of Faro, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Santarém, Viseu and Guarda are at maximum risk of rural fires this Tuesday, according to the IPMA, which predicts this risk will worsen in the coming days.

According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), several municipalities in the northern and central interior and the Algarve are at very high risk of rural fires.

According to the institute's calculations, the danger of rural fires will begin to increase from this Tuesday due to the expected rise in temperatures and will remain high at least until the weekend in some districts.

This hazard, determined by the IPMA, has five levels, ranging from low to high. Calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation over the last 24 hours.

Due to the hot weather, the IPMA placed the districts of Bragança, Viseu, Évora, Guarda, Faro, Vila Real, Setúbal, Beja, Castelo Branco and Portalegre under yellow warning between 9:00 am this Tuesday and 6:00 pm on Wednesday.

The yellow warning is issued by IPMA when there is a “risk situation for certain activities dependent on the meteorological situation”.

The IPMA forecasts for this Tuesday on the mainland generally clear skies, light to moderate winds from the north, sometimes strong in the highlands of the north and central regions until mid-morning and on the coastal strip north of Cabo Espichel from the afternoon onwards and a rise in maximum temperatures.

Minimum temperatures will range between 13 degrees Celsius (in Leiria) and 22 (in Faro) and maximum temperatures between 25 (in Aveiro) and 39 (in Évora).