Most districts in the North, Center and Algarve regions are at maximum risk of fire

Most districts in the North, Center and Algarve regions are currently at maximum risk of fire, according to data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

In the north and center of mainland Portugal, almost all municipalities in the districts of Bragança, Vila Real, Viseu, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Coimbra and Santarém are at maximum risk of fire.

The districts of Coimbra and Portalegre also have several municipalities under this IPMA alert.

In the district of Faro, the municipalities of Monchique, Portimão, Silves, Loulé, São Brás de Alportel and Tavira are also at maximum risk of fire.

Only a few municipalities on the country's coast, namely in the districts of Lisbon, Setúbal, Porto and Aveiro, are at moderate fire risk.

The fire risk, determined by the IPMA, has five levels, ranging from low to high.

Calculations are obtained from air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and amount of precipitation in the last 24 hours.

The IPMA forecasts generally clear skies for today, with temporary cloudiness on the west coast, and a slight rise in maximum temperatures on the North and Central coast and in the South region.

The wind will generally blow weak, sometimes strong from the east/northeast in the highlands of the North and Central regions until early morning and at the end of the day, blowing weak to moderate from the west quadrant during the afternoon.

The maximum temperatures expected for today will vary between 25 degrees in Aveiro and 40 in Évora.

The IPMA warned on Thursday of the “hot weather episode”, forecast until Wednesday in mainland Portugal, which is expected to be “considerably severe” due to its duration and expected maximum temperatures, between 36 and 44 degrees Celsius.

In light of these forecasts, the IPMA has already placed all districts of mainland Portugal, with the exception of Faro, under an orange warning between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm on Sunday, due to the "persistence of very high maximum temperatures."