Twelve districts under yellow warning due to hot weather

Twelve of the 18 districts of mainland Portugal are under a yellow warning this Thursday due to the continuation of hot weather, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

The districts of Viseu, Porto, Santarém, Viana do Castelo and Braga will be under warning until 6 pm this Thursday and Bragança, Évora, Guarda, Vila Real, Beja, Castelo Branco and Portalegre until 9 pm on Friday.

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

The IPMA forecasts for this Thursday on the mainland partly cloudy or clear skies and the possibility of showers , which could occasionally be hail, and thunderstorms in the interior North and Center during the afternoon.

The forecast also points to light to moderate winds, predominantly from the west, mist or fog in some coastal areas, rising temperatures in the North and Central regions, especially the maximum , and a drop in maximum temperatures in the Algarve.

Minimum temperatures will range between 15 degrees Celsius (in Leiria) and 24 (in Portalegre and Castelo Branco) and maximum temperatures between 26 (in Aveiro) and 40 (in Castelo Branco) .

More than 40 municipalities in the districts of Bragança, Viseu, Coimbra, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Portalegre and Faro are at maximum risk of rural fires this Thursday, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

The IPMA also placed almost all municipalities in the 18 districts on the mainland at very high and elevated risk.

According to the institute's calculations, the risk of rural fires will remain high in the coming days in some districts . This risk, determined by the IPMA, has five levels, ranging from low to maximum. The calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.

According to the website of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), since the beginning of the year and until this Thursday there have been 2,672 fire incidents, with 6,359 hectares having burned in rural areas .

Due to the continuation of hot weather , the IPMA placed the districts of Viseu, Porto, Santarém, Viana do Castelo and Braga under yellow warning until 6 pm this Thursday and Bragança, Évora, Guarda, Vila Real, Beja, Castelo Branco and Portalegre until 9 pm on Friday.

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