The forecast for the weekend is sunshine and temperatures that could reach 37 degrees this Saturday in Santarem and Sunday in Setubal. Due to the heat, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has placed coastal areas north of Setúbal on a yellow warning level, with prolonged outdoor occupational activities not recommended. The heat also prompted authorities to issue an orange warning for Madeira and Porto Santo. Taking sun precautions, especially for children and the elderly, comes as the archipelago reaches its maximum temperatures. In Funchal on Thursday, the maximum temperature was 34.7 degrees, the highest for the month of October recorded on the island since 1865, the year when Funchal’s continuous record began. The weather is driven by “hot and dry tropical air masses originating in the Sahara Desert,” IPMA highlights. On the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of this month, the highest maximum air temperatures in October were exceeded at 15 stations on the continent, with the highest value, 37.7°C, recorded at the Alwega (Abrantes) weather station. Thus, Portugal is facing the seventh heat wave of the year: three times in the spring and three in the summer. The heat wave is expected to last until next week.