The early morning thunderstorms surprised Portugal with their intensity and duration. were registered more than 47 thousand electrical discharges in 24 hourswith greater incidence during the early hours of the morning, leaving thousands of consumers without electricity across the country.
This scenario, considered unusual by meteorologists, could become more frequent due to climate change. “The scenarios indicate that, with climate change, there will be more energy available. As the temperature is higher, there is more energy available and there will be more conditions for storms to be violent”, explains meteorologist Paula Leitão, from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), to Diário de Notícias.
According to the professional, autumn is the time of year most prone to this type of phenomenon. “This is the time when the sea water is warmest, the atmosphere is still hot and accumulates energy throughout the summer. There is a lot of water available in the atmosphere, because it evaporated from the sea throughout the summer”, he explains.
This combination could give rise to more thunderstorms and precipitation.
“We have a very humid and warm air mass, with some instability close to autumn. This turns into more violent storms, which give rise to a lot of precipitation and thunderstorms.”, he adds.
However, the intensity observed last night is not common in the country. “These are situations that are not very common”, he emphasizes. On this occasion, the lightning appeared in an organized manner, according to the meteorologist. “The main difference compared to other occasions was that the line that gave rise to the thunderstorm was very well organized and was very longhaving swept almost the entire territory during the night and early morning”, he highlights.
Currently, this “line” is already in neighboring Spain. “It no longer affects us. However, conditions for showers and thunderstorms continue to existnow more dispersed and occasional, which should persist in the North and Central coast region until early tomorrow”, he anticipates.
Precautions
In Portugal, there are no official statistics on the number of people struck by lightning, but it is a real danger. “Electrical discharges can be fatal. If they fall very close to a person, they can cause death. In Portugal it is very rare for this to happen — these are extraordinary situations and there are very few occurrences of this kind”, he says.
During a thunderstorm, it is important to take some precautions.
“If the person is on the street, they should not be under trees, especially if they are isolated, as they also attract electrical discharges”, he advises. You should also stay away from water, such as rivers or the sea, since “water also conducts electricity and you should not stay in wet areas”.
Indoors, you need to be careful with electrical appliances.
“When the thunderstorm is very strong, it is recommended to stay at home and turn off electrical appliances, as the discharges can damage them”, he warns.
And the cold?
This autumn, marked by this week’s rain, temperatures have not yet dropped significantly, at least in the Lisbon region.
“For now, we are still under the influence of hot air masses, due to energy accumulated throughout the summer and the sea temperature, which remains quite high”, highlights the IPMA meteorologist.
A consistent drop in temperature is not yet predicted.
“Now, gradually, as the days become shorter and shorter, we will begin to be affected by colder air masses, but for now we still don’t have a consistent drop in temperature”, analysis.
The exception is Serra da Estrela, the highest point in mainland Portugal.
“Tomorrow a drop in temperature is expected, and we are expecting snow in Serra da Estrela”anticipate.
The cold is also starting to make itself felt in other areas, but intermittently. “There is a tendency for some drops in temperature, but still with big fluctuations — it goes down, then goes up again, and goes down again. It will be a gradual decline over the next few weeks”, he concludes.
amanda.lima@dn.pt