Twenty-eight municipalities in seven districts are in the maximum fire danger zone

Twenty-eight municipalities in the districts of Santarem, Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Viseu, Guarda, Bragança and Faro pose the highest risk of rural fires this Friday, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

At the beginning of the week, IPMA already warned of the possibility of an increase in the risk of rural fires.

The municipalities in greatest danger are Torre de Moncorvo, Freixo de Espada a Cinta, Mogadouro, Alfandega da Fe, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Vimioso and Miranda do Douro (Braganca), Loule, São Bras de Alportel, Tavira (Faro), Gavian, Nisa (Portalegre) and Masao, Sardol (Santarem).

Municipalities of Vila Velha de Rodan, Proença a Nova, Castelo Branco, Fundao, Penamacor, Covilhã, Belmonte (Castelo Branco), Sabugal, Gouveia, Fornos de Algodres (Guarda), Nelas, Mangualde, Penalva do Castelo and Tabuaço (Viseu).

The IPMA has also placed several municipalities in all districts of mainland Portugal (18) at very high risk of rural fires.

The IPMA expects fire danger in some areas to continue until at least Monday.

This risk, defined by IPMA, has five levels: from low to maximum. Calculations are based on air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and precipitation over the last 24 hours.

Due to the hot weather, the IPMA has placed the areas of Évora, Faro, Setúbal, Beja, Santarem and Portalegre under a yellow warning level until 18:00 this Friday.

IPMA is forecasting generally clear skies for the continent this Friday, winds from the eastern quadrant, sometimes strong in the highlands, and rising maximum temperatures along the northern and central coasts.

According to the institute, maximum temperatures this Friday will range from 29 degrees in Vila Real, Aveiro and Porto to 38 degrees in Évora and Santarem, while minimum temperatures will range from 10 degrees Celsius in Bragança to 21 degrees in Castelo Branco .

On Saturday, minimum temperatures are expected to range from 9 degrees in Braganca to 23 degrees in Lisbon, while maximum temperatures are expected to range from 28 degrees in Vila Real and Aveiro to 36 degrees in Santarem.