90 municipalities in the North and Central interior at maximum risk

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Around 90 municipalities in the interior north and center of the country are at maximum risk of fire this Friday, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), a day after the alert situation was renewed.

All municipalities in the districts of Bragança and Guarda, and most of those in Vila Real, Viseu and Castelo Branco, are at maximum risk of fire.

Also at maximum risk are dozens of municipalities in the districts of Braga, Porto, Santarém and Portalegre.

Around 60 municipalities in the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Vila Real, Viseu, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Santarém, Castelo Branco and Faro are at very high risk.

The IPMA placed around 50 municipalities in the districts of Faro, Beja, Évora, Portalegre, Santarém, Lisbon, Leiria, Aveiro, Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo at high risk.

Dozens of municipalities in the districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Lisbon, Santarém, Setúbal, Évora, Portalegre, Beja and Faro are at moderate risk.

The fire risk determined by the IPMA has five levels, ranging from low to high, with the latter being issued when weather conditions, such as extreme heat and low humidity, significantly increase the risk of fire ignition and spread.

The Government renewed on Thursday the alert situation in the country until Wednesday (August 13), due to the risk of forest fires.

The alert situation is justified based on two main reasons: the continuation of high temperatures throughout the country for the next few days and the decrease in ignitions due to the determined prohibitions.

The IPMA forecasts partly cloudy or clear skies for this Friday, with heavy cloud cover on the west coast until late morning, which may persist in some areas along the coastal strip north of Cabo Raso.

A temporary increase in cloud cover is also expected in the interior of the North and Central regions during the afternoon.

Minimum temperatures will vary between 13º (degrees Celsius), in Setúbal, and 20º (Portalegre, Castelo Branco and Guarda) and maximum temperatures between 23º (Sines) and 39º (Bragança).