Depression Charles Sets Orange Warnings for Eight Mainland Districts and Madeira, With Gusts of Up to 120 km/h Forecast for Wednesday

The Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA, the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere) has put eight mainland districts and most of Madeira on orange warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday, as a new depression it has named Charles follows Bruna towards Portugal. The worst is expected on Wednesday afternoon, with southwesterly gusts of 100 to 120 km/h from Leiria to the Algarve.

Orange is the second-highest of IPMA's four levels and means weather of moderate to high risk. These are the orange warnings in IPMA's warning data read on Monday evening:

• Rain, Tuesday 10 November, midnight to 09:00: Castelo Branco, Évora, Portalegre and Santarém, for persistent and at times heavy rain.
• Wind, Wednesday 11 November, 12:00 to 21:00: Beja, Faro, Leiria, Lisbon, Santarém and Setúbal, for southwesterly gusts of 100 to 120 km/h.
• Madeira, Tuesday 21:00 to Wednesday 12:00: rain on the north and south coasts and in the mountains; wind in the mountains (gusts up to 130 km/h), on the south coast and on Porto Santo (up to 100 km/h).

In a communiqué reported by Público, IPMA said Charles lay west of Madeira on Monday and was moving east, with "high uncertainty" over its track and strength. On current data its centre is most likely to cross the coast between Sines and Cabo Carvoeiro (Peniche) on Wednesday, with the strongest gusts on its southern flank, waves of four to six metres south of Cabo Carvoeiro from Wednesday afternoon, and no effect on the Azores. Warnings may change as the track becomes clearer.

Yellow almost everywhere else

Every other mainland district has at least one yellow warning over the next two days:

• Tonight to Tuesday: heavy rain and thunderstorms from Viana do Castelo to Beja and inland to Guarda, until between 03:00 and 18:00 on Tuesday. Castelo Branco, Évora, Portalegre and Santarém stay on yellow for rain after their orange spell, until midnight.
• Sea: westerly waves of 4 to 5 metres on the whole western coast from Monday evening until early Wednesday, and on the Algarve coast.
• Wednesday: persistent, at times heavy rain on the whole mainland, Bragança included, and gusts up to 90 km/h in Aveiro, Coimbra, Castelo Branco, Évora, Portalegre and Viseu.

The rain lands on ground already soaked by Bruna, which brought orange warnings to Guarda and Castelo Branco overnight. IPMA expects Bruna to sit almost stationary northwest of the Iberian Peninsula until Friday.

What residents should do

The Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (ANEPC, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority) had not issued a separate warning for Charles by Monday evening. Its warning to the population for Bruna (in Portuguese), still active, covers both rain and wind. Its advice includes:

• Before Wednesday: secure or bring in anything loose outside, such as pots, garden furniture and items on balconies and window sills, and close and secure shutters and windows, especially those facing the wind.
• Trees: do not park under trees, and take care walking or driving near them, where branches can fall.
• Floods: never drive or walk through flooded roads; keep away from rivers and streams, and do not park in places that usually flood.
• Drains: clear gutters and drains, and move animals, vehicles and equipment away from flood-prone spots.
• On the road: slow down and watch for sheets of water and debris blown onto the carriageway.
• At the coast: ANEPC warns of possible accidents on the shore because of the heavy swell.

Follow IPMA's forecasts and the instructions of civil protection and the police. In an emergency call 112; for health advice that is not an emergency, call the SNS 24 line on 808 24 24 24 or see sns24.gov.pt.