The Algarve will be under yellow warning, issued by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, due to high temperatures, this Wednesday, while, on Thursday, the level will be raised to orange. The district of Beja will be under orange notice from tomorrow and under red notice between Thursday and at least 16:00 on Friday. For its part, the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) places the district of Faro on orange alert from midnight on Wednesday and also issued a warning to the population this afternoon.
In addition to the high temperatures during the day, with maximum temperatures of 35ºC in most of the territory, with values above 40ºC in Alentejo, Vale do Tejo and Beira Baixa, “tropical nights” are planned, when the thermometers will not drop below 20ºC, being that, in some places, they can be above 25º.
According to ANPC, "conditions have been met for the occurrence of situations of atmospheric instability, which are more likely from the afternoon of August 2 onwards".
The warning issued explains that the atmospheric conditions «conform the occurrence of very high fire risk indices in the Algarve region and in the North and Center interior and high/very high in Baixo Alentejo, with a predicted worsening in the next 48 hours for the Eastern Algarve , with the expectation of a gradual increase in the number of councils with maximum risk».
The weather led to an increase in the special alert level of available human and material resources and will lead the Navy and Army to reinforce support to the ANPC with 19 more patrols throughout the country, for a total of 76 more soldiers which will be committed between 8:00 am this Wednesday and 20:00 pm on Sunday, August 5th.
This reinforcement aims to "increase deterrent patrol actions in the period referred to, and these actions may be extended over time, if the weather forecast justifies it", explains the General Staff of the Armed Forces, in a statement.
Patrícia Gaspar, the ANPC's second national operational commander, said this afternoon that there will be "an aggravation of the risk of rural fires and of the air temperature".
Air humidity should decrease and in several parts of the country it should be around 20%, «with the aggravation that «it is not expected that there will be night recovery», something «preponderant» to help fight possible fires.
The ANPC recalls that, due to the high temperatures, according to the law in force, it is not allowed to carry out fires, bonfires for recreation or leisure or to cook food, use burning and combustion equipment for lighting or cooking food , burning chopped and piled up bushes and any kind of leftovers from exploration, launching balloons with burning fuse or any other type of rockets, smoking or making a fire of any kind in the forest spaces and roads that surround them, fumigating or disinfesting apiaries with fumigators that do not are equipped with spark arrest devices.
The entity also advises you to take special care when carrying out agricultural and forestry work, such as keeping machines and equipment clean of oil and dust, supplying the machines cold and in a place with little vegetation and special attention to sparks during their operation. handling, avoiding its use in the hottest periods.
In addition, adds the ANPC, "exposure to intense heat can have negative effects on health, with children, the chronically ill and the elderly being particularly vulnerable", for which reason extra care is advised with these groups.
At this point, the General Directorate of Health advises you to look for cool environments (preferably with air conditioning), to prevent heat from entering the rooms, by running shutters or shutters, but keeping the air circulating inside the house.
It is also advisable to drink water or natural fruit juices without sugar and should avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
According to the DGS, direct exposure to the sun should also be avoided, especially between 11:00 and 17:00, and loose cotton clothing should be worn, covering most of the body, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
Sunscreen with a factor greater than 30 must also be used and its application must be renewed every 2 hours. Traveling by car is also not recommended during the hottest hours, and you should not stay inside parked cars exposed to the sun.
Activities that require great physical effort should also be avoided.
On the other hand, air quality will deteriorate due to the entry of dust from North Africa, starting this Wednesday.
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