Portugal's Civil Protection Authority has issued a serious warning - people must be alert for extreme winds and floods in the next 24 hours.
The bad weather warning comes from the Authority after discussions with the weather service whose predictions have worsened for the districts of Faro, Beja and Setúbal involving heavy rainfall and high winds on Friday November 4th.
According to the weather service, the rain may fall at a rate of between 10 and 20 mm per hour in these districts, particularly on Friday afternoon.
Wave heights along the Algarve coast will increase to two metres which at high tide may well endanger coastal infrastructure.
The Authority alerts the public to the possibility of flooding in vulnerable areas, road flooding, ground water, flash floods in urban areas and a rise in the probability of traffic accidents unless people reduce speed and watch out for standing water.
After Friday’s rains, the temperature will plunge this weekend with the night-time low dropping to below 10º Celsius across Portugal and down to 5º Celsius over inland areas.
During the day the temperatures should be between 15º and 16º Celsius from the Alentejo upwards but falling only to 17 ºC in the Algarve, temperatures closer to those in January and February.
This cold front, 'cold' being a relative term, from the north of Europe will hit both the Iberian Peninsula and Madeira and those with elderly or vulnerable neighbours should check on their welfare and safety.
