Storm Recovery Continues as More Rain Hits Portugal — A1 Motorway Still Closed
As the country reels from its worst storm season in living memory, more rain arrives today while thousands remain displaced and critical infrastructure stays damaged.
As the country reels from its worst storm season in living memory, more rain arrives today while thousands remain displaced and critical infrastructure stays damaged.
The Situation Today
Portugal braces for yet more rain on Wednesday, February 18, as a frontal weather system moves from north to south across the country. The IPMA weather agency has issued yellow warnings for the Minho and Douro Litoral regions, where rainfall is expected to be heaviest, with lighter but persistent rain reaching the Alentejo by evening.
This comes as the country is still recovering from what atmospheric scientists have called the "longest train of storms within living memory" — a devastating series of weather events that began in late January and intensified dramatically in early February.
The Toll So Far
The numbers paint a grim picture of the damage wrought across central and southern Portugal:
At least 16 people have died since the storms began, with several victims killed while attempting emergency repairs to their roofs using donated tarpaulins. Hundreds more have been injured in falls.
More than 3,000 residents were evacuated from the Coimbra area on February 11 when the Mondego River reached critical levels and a dyke burst, sending floodwaters surging through streets and farmland. The A1 motorway — Portugal's main north-south highway connecting Lisbon to Porto — partially collapsed where the dyke gave way, and remains closed for repairs with no reopening date confirmed.
An estimated €775 million in damage has been recorded so far, with homes, businesses, roads and agricultural land all severely affected. At the peak of the crisis, 33,000 people were left without electricity.
Political Fallout
The storms have already claimed a political casualty. Interior Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral resigned last Tuesday amid mounting public anger over the government's emergency response. In her resignation statement, she said she no longer had "the personal and political conditions necessary to carry out her duties."
The resignation adds pressure on the government of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro at a delicate moment — just days before the inauguration of newly elected President António José Seguro, who won a landslide runoff victory on February 8.
Experts Sound the Alarm
Climate scientists and urban planners have used the disaster to press for fundamental changes in how Portugal prepares for extreme weather.
"We are not prepared for the present climate, much less for the future," said Pedro Matos Soares, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Lisbon. "Portugal still handles land-use planning thinking about the 19th century. We have to understand what the climate is like now."
The NGO Building 4Humanity has been distributing safety manuals alongside the tarpaulins given to affected residents, after architects noted that many injuries and deaths occurred during improvised roof repairs. The civil protection agency has now adopted this practice nationally.
What This Means for Expats
The ongoing storm crisis has several practical implications for foreign residents in Portugal:
Travel disruption: The A1 motorway closure between Coimbra and Leiria means significantly longer journey times between Lisbon and Porto. Alternative routes via the A8/IC2 are experiencing heavy congestion. Plan extra time for any north-south travel.
Home insurance: If you haven't reviewed your home insurance policy recently, now is the time. Many standard policies in Portugal have limited coverage for storm and flood damage. Contact your insurer to understand your coverage, particularly if you live in a flood-prone area near rivers.
Property purchases: Anyone in the process of buying property should pay close attention to flood risk maps and drainage infrastructure. The storms have revealed vulnerabilities in areas previously considered safe, particularly in the Coimbra, Leiria and Santarém districts.
Emergency preparedness: Keep a basic emergency kit at home, including flashlights, batteries, bottled water and phone chargers. Register with your embassy's emergency notification system if you haven't already. The UK, US and other embassies provide alerts for their nationals during weather emergencies.
