The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has identified a high risk of rural fires today in twenty municipalities spread across four districts: Faro, Portalegre, Santarém, and Castelo Branco, reports RTP News.
In Santarém, the municipalities of Mação, Vila Nova de Barquinha, Abrantes, Chamusca, Constância, and Sardoal are all on high alert. The districts of Vila Velha de Ródão and Proença-a-Nova in Castelo Branco are also at risk.
In Portalegre, the municipalities of Marvão, Castelo de Vide, Nisa, and Gavião are on alert. Monchique, Lagos, Portimão, Silves, Loulé, Tavira, and São Brás de Alportel, all located in the district of Faro, are also at high risk.
The IPMA has established five levels of fire risk, ranging from low to extreme, based on factors such as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation in the last 24 hours.
Around 60 other municipalities in the districts of Bragança, Vila Real, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Leiria, Portalegre, Santarém, Lisbon, Beja, and Faro are also at elevated risk.
According to the IPMA website, the sky is expected to be slightly cloudy today, with occasional heavy cloud cover on the north coast until mid-morning.
Temperatures will vary from 23°C (73.4°F) in Viana do Castelo, Porto, and Viseu to 32°C (89.6°F) in Santarém, Beja, and Évora.
The summer of 2022 was one of the most severe fire seasons yet in Portugal, resulting in nearly 105,000 acres burned. Nearly 16% of the Serra da Estrela park burnt to the ground, the largest fire in Portugal in the last five years.
To contact the fire brigade in the case of a fire, call the emergency number 112 to report any sighting of a fire as soon as possible.
