Civil Protection Warns of Floods and Landslides as Bruna's Rain Hits the Mainland on Sunday, With Yellow Warnings in Eight Districts
ANEPC warns of flooding, landslides and falling trees as depression Bruna brings rain and wind to the mainland from Sunday. Eight districts are on yellow for heavy rain, and IPMA expects up to 200 mm in the northern highlands by Friday 13 November.
Portugal's national civil protection authority, ANEPC (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil), has warned residents of the mainland to prepare for flooding, landslides and falling trees as depression Bruna brings persistent rain and strong wind from Sunday 8 November. The weather service IPMA expects the unsettled spell to last until Friday 13 November, and has put eight mainland districts on a yellow warning for heavy rain on Sunday. No mainland district is on orange or red.
Our earlier report covered Bruna's orange warnings in Madeira; this one looks at the mainland.
Sunday's warnings
According to IPMA's warnings map, the yellow warnings on Sunday are for spells of rain, at times heavy and with thunder:
- Beja and Faro: from 15:00 to midnight.
- Lisboa, Setúbal, Santarém, Évora and Portalegre: from 18:00 on Sunday to 06:00 on Monday.
- Castelo Branco: from 21:00 on Sunday to 06:00 on Monday.
Faro also has a yellow warning for rough seas on Sunday from 12:00 to 21:00, with south-easterly waves of 2 metres on the south coast. Warnings are reviewed through the day, so more districts may be added as the week goes on.
The week ahead
In its latest communiqué on Bruna for the mainland (Portuguese only), issued on Friday evening, IPMA said a frontal system arrives on Sunday, followed by a succession of rain bands until 13 November. It expects rainfall totals of around 200 mm by the end of the week, especially in the northern highlands. Southerly gusts could reach 75 km/h on the west coast and in the highlands of the North and Centre. Between 9 and 11 November, waves are forecast to build to 4 to 5 metres on the west coast and to 3 metres on the Algarve's south coast. IPMA said it would update the communiqué by 19:00 UTC on Saturday.
What ANEPC expects
ANEPC's public warning on Bruna (Aviso 20, issued on Friday afternoon, Portuguese only) lists the likely effects: urban flooding where drains are blocked, waterlogged soil that drains slowly onto roads, landslides and rockfalls on unstable slopes, slippery roads with standing water, loose objects blown or washed onto roads, and accidents on the coast caused by rough seas. The warning was reported by RTP on Saturday.
What it means for you
ANEPC recommends these steps, particularly in areas that have flooded before:
- Clear gutters, drains and gullies, and move anything that could be washed away or block the flow of water.
- Do not park in places that usually flood or under trees, and move animals, equipment and vehicles out of flood-prone ground.
- Never walk or drive through flooded areas: water can hide holes in the road and open manholes.
- Stay away from rivers and streams, especially where they have flooded in the past, and take care near trees because of falling branches.
- Secure scaffolding, signs and anything on balconies and windowsills, such as plant pots and garden furniture; close and secure shutters and windows facing the wind.
- Drive defensively: slow down and watch for standing water.
- Follow IPMA's forecasts and the instructions of civil protection and the police.
Keep away from the seafront while the waves are up, from Sunday on the Algarve and from Monday on the west coast. Bruna is an early test of what IPMA's seasonal outlook expects to be a wetter than normal winter. Current warnings are on ipma.pt and civil protection advice on prociv.gov.pt.
