Spring starts today with maximum temperatures up to 24 degrees

According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), spring begins this Monday with forecasts of generally cloudy skies and temperatures between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius on the Portuguese mainland.

The spring equinox begins at 21:24 (Lisbon time).

The IPMA forecasts for this first day of spring are: for continental Portugal in general, the sky will be cloudy, and at the end of the day on Minho and the Douro Litoral the sky will become very cloudy.

Light to moderate winds are also expected from the east quadrant, moving into the west quadrant in the afternoon, and morning mist or mist in some places, especially on the west coast.

Forecasts also point to a slight increase in temperature.

Minimum temperatures will range from 4 degrees Celsius (in Bragança) to 12 (in Faro), while maximum temperatures will range from 17 (in Viana do Castelo) to 24 (in Évora and Beja).

Very cloudy skies are predicted for the Madeira archipelago as a whole, with a temporary decrease in cloud cover in the afternoon, light rains are possible, especially on the northern slopes and in the highlands, and until late in the morning.

A light to moderate northeasterly wind is also expected, sometimes strong in the highlands and on the eastern and western ends of Madeira, especially in the afternoon.

In the Azores, for the western (Flores and Corvo) and central (São Jorge, Faial, Pico, Graciosa and Terceira) groups, IPMA predicts periods of very cloudy skies with good clearance, light rain or afternoon drizzle, favorable conditions for fog formation and moderate western wind.

In the eastern group (San Miguel and Santa Maria), the forecast indicates periods of very cloudy skies with good clearance and a moderate westerly wind that will turn southwest by the end of the day.

On June 21, spring gives way to summer.