Portugal faces maximum wildfire risk in over 70 municipalities

More than 70 municipalities across eleven districts in mainland Portugal are under maximum rural fire danger. The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has classified these areas based on temperature, relative humidity, wind intensity, and recent precipitation levels.

Authorities expect the risk to persist as a warm, dry air mass moves in from the continent, driven by an anticyclone near the Azores. Temperatures are forecast to rise gradually starting Saturday, with maximums exceeding 30 degrees Celsius across most of the mainland. Some areas in Alentejo and the Tagus Valley could see temperatures approaching 38 degrees Celsius. Nighttime temperatures may also remain high, staying above 20 degrees in regions such as Alto Alentejo, Beira Baixa, the Tagus Valley, and eastern Algarve.