Heavy and persistent rainfall continues to affect mainland Portugal as successive Atlantic systems prolong saturated ground conditions and heighten flood risk across several regions, forcing evacuations.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro described the extreme weather episodes as a “devastating crisis” affecting communities across the country while emphasizing that emergency coordination and recovery efforts continue nationwide.

Mário Silvestre, commander of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), warned that several major rivers, including the Mondego and Tagus rivers, face heightened flood risk, describing the situation as presenting “the worst flood threat along the Tagus in nearly three decades.”

The destructive train of storms, including Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta, caused fatalities, infrastructure damage, and billions of euros in losses. Storm Kristin alone caused more than €4 billion (USD $4.75 billion) in damage, as the train of storms has claimed 15 lives across Portugal, marking it a catastrophic meteorological event.

The president of the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), José Ângelo Guerreiro da Silva, noted that recent months rank among the wettest in decades, stressing that even moderate rainfall can trigger impacts when soils and reservoirs remain saturated after successive storms.

These storms have extended across the Atlantic autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira. In the Azores, President of the Regional Government José Manuel Bolieiro has led the government in overseeing regional coordination and response to the severe weather within the region.

In Madeira, authorities maintain vigilance amid the current unstable Atlantic conditions, with Regional President Miguel Albuquerque continuing to coordinate preparedness contingency planning and community readiness during this severe weather cycle.

With mainland Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira remaining exposed to Atlantic weather systems, officials continue to urge residents to monitor forecasts and follow safety guidance as unsettled conditions persist. The ongoing rainfall and the recovery effort from earlier storms remain a priority, as additional severe weather systems are expected across the country and the autonomous regions in the coming weeks.

PAJ/Staff/This deveoping story will be updated