Portugal has its “third hottest Spring since 1931,” according to the IPMA which also notes low rainfall, heatwaves and heavy snowfall.
Spring, March, April and May, was very hot and very dry in mainland Portugal this year, with an average temperature of 15.64 ° C making it the third hottest spring for 86 years, says the weather service.
The two years that had hotter average Spring temperatures than 2017 are 1997 (16.47°C) and 2011 (15.85°C).
The Portuguese weather service said the average maximum air temperature of 22.04°C was the second highest since 1931, (the highest was in 1997 at 22.48°C) and the average minimum air temperature was 9.24°C which was 0.75°C above normal.
Springtime rain was down to 75% of normal with only 158.9 millimeters falling. In April, the weather was 'exceptionally hot' for the time of year and far higher than average.
There also were several heatwaves this Spring. In April, a heatwave affected "almost the whole territory" and lasted 20 days or more in Bragança, Guarda and Castelo Branco districts. The IPMA says that this "can be considered the most significant weather event observed in April since 1941".
In May, there was a heat wave in the North, Centre and Alentejo regions lasting between six and eight days.
At the chilly ends of the thermometer, there was snowfall from March 23 to 27 in mountain areas which also fell on lower lying ground down to 400 metres above sea level.
In Spring, drought continued and in April, there was a significant increase in the area under drought, particularly in the North and Central regions.
By the end of April, about 96% of the country was experiencing weak to moderate drought conditions.
