IMPA warns for wind gusts exceeding 118 km / h and waves with a maximum height of 12 meters. Partly sunny, with a few clouds

Hurricane Leslie has moved north of Madeira and is preparing to reach the Portuguese coast, the most expected scenario being that it lands on the ground in the Lisbon district in the early hours of the morning, according to the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IMPA).

The latest forecasts show a very high probability of Hurricane Leslie reaching the west coast of mainland Portugal as a post-tropical depression, with hurricane force winds (above 118 km / h) likely to be 5 to 20% between Cabo Mondego and Cabo de Sines, according to the latest IPMA notice

At this moment the most likely scenario is that Leslie will land on the ground in the Lisbon district” in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the same source. But the hurricane is expected to begin to affect the mainland from 19.00 or 22.00 on Saturday. “Predictions indicate the average wind gust from 40 to 65 km / h with maximum wind gusts up to 120 km /h between 19.00 hrs on Saturday and 07.00 hrs on Sunday, especially on the west coast and the uplands. More than 80% of the average wind speed with tropical storm force (between 63 and 118 km / h) is expected to occour on the coast between Cabo Mondego and Cabo de Sines, “according to IPMA.

The waves are expected to reach 5 to 7 meters, with a maximum height of up to 12 meters in the period between Saturday 23.00 and 04.00 hrs on Sunday. The effect of strong sea turmoil should be amplified by the force of the winds near the center of Leslie, due to the decrease in pressure and the high tide (which occurs around 1800 hrs local time), which may lead to coastal gullies. Precipitation is also foreseen at times between 22.00 hrs Saturday and 10.00 hrs on Sunday, “he concluded.

In total there are 13 districts in mainland Portugal in orange warning (besides two others in Madeira) – the second most serious in a scale of four – and five in yellow warning.