LISBON, Portugal — Portugal’s government has declared an alert for all of mainland Portugal on Wednesday, closing schools and non-essential public services, as Storm Charles approaches with red rain and wind warnings from the national weather service, IPMA.
For Lisbon, IPMA lists a red warning for heavy, persistent rain from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. A red wind warning follows from noon to 9 p.m., with gusts up to 120 km/h that could reach 140 km/h in the most exposed places.
The red wind warnings cover eight mainland districts on Wednesday. Beja, Faro and Setúbal are under the warning from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Évora, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre and Santarém from noon to 9 p.m.
IPMA later added red warnings for heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon in Lisbon, Setúbal, Santarém, Leiria, Portalegre and Castelo Branco. Outdoor events are suspended under the government’s alert, which runs from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.
Charles is the third named storm of the southwest Europe storm season. Forecasters expect it to pass north of Madeira around midnight on Tuesday before heading toward mainland Portugal, with a possible landfall near Lisbon late on Wednesday afternoon or early evening.
Madeira faces red warnings overnight
Madeira’s south coast and mountain areas are under a red rain warning from 9 p.m. on Tuesday until 6 a.m. on Wednesday. A red wind warning covers the mountains from midnight to 6 a.m., with gusts that could reach 140 km/h.
Madeira’s regional government has ordered schools on the island to stay closed on Wednesday morning, until 1 p.m. Ferry crossings between Madeira and Porto Santo scheduled for Wednesday have been cancelled.
Spain also under red rainfall warnings
Across the border in Spain, the weather agency AEMET has red rainfall warnings in place for northern Cáceres and southern Ávila on Tuesday, with up to 120 mm of rain forecast in 12 hours.
In Piedralaves, in Ávila province, about 2,200 residents were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday over fears that the Horcajo Dam could overflow after the heavy rain.
IPMA last updated its Lisbon warnings page on Tuesday evening. The red warnings for the mainland are scheduled to end at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.