Portugal faces high meteorological risk as depression Charles may trigger a rare, destructive sting jet, with gusts above 160 km/h, mainly in Greater Lisbon.
Portugal is on alert because of the passage of the depressions Bruna and Charles. For this Wednesday, there is also the possibility of a phenomenon called sting jet, a rare meteorological event that can produce gusts with greater destructive force, as happened with Kristin at the beginning of the year, which devastated several regions in the district of Leiria.
The Greater Lisbon area deserves particular attention because of the possibility that this phenomenon may occur, especially between midday and late afternoon on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, during a Civil Protection preventative press conference, IPMA acknowledged the possibility that a sting jet could form. “There are some signs that it may occur, but it is very difficult to predict. That is what happened in storm Kristin and it is on the table,” said Jorge Ponte of IPMA.
According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), a sting jet is an air current that descends rapidly inside an extratropical depression and can reach the surface with great intensity. This phenomenon, which occurs in a relatively small and localised area, can generate very strong wind gusts, which may exceed 160 kilometres per hour, and cause significant damage.
Climate change specialist Duarte Costa, who used social media to explain the phenomenon and warn of the associated risks, describes it as “an extremely violent jet of wind that descends from the mid-levels of a storm down to the surface, suddenly and in a very localised way as a result of a strong intensification as it passes through a jet stream”.
Simulations from the European ECMWF model show a hooked shape, “a dangerous similarity to the sting jet phenomenon”, says Duarte Costa.
The major difference compared with Kristin is that this time the storm will be more intense during daylight hours, that is, when there is greater movement of people in the streets and on the roads, which worsens the situation.
Duarte Costa warns that if the phenomenon coincides with rush hour, the period of most intense travel, the risks could be increased.
Preventive measures under way
The Portuguese government has declared a state of alert for this Wednesday across the entire mainland territory, given the approach of the depression Charles.
The minister for Internal Administration, Luís Neves, announced the closure of all schools (public and private) and non-essential public services, the banning of movement in parks, forests and gardens, and urged people to stay at home, warning that there may be “very tough moments of need for rescue”, with particular concern about urban flooding, falling trees and interruptions to the power supply.
IPMA has placed eight districts under red warning: Beja, Évora, Faro, Leiria, Lisbon, Portalegre, Santarém and Setúbal, until 9 p.m. this Wednesday.
All tunnels and car parks in the city of Lisbon, as well as some bridges, will be closed from midnight. The speed limit on the Vasco da Gama and 25 de Abril bridges, which connect the two banks of the river Tagus, has been set at 60 km/h, and motorcycle traffic is being discouraged.
Metro de Lisboa and Fertagus plan to maintain public transport services. However, the operation of Carris buses may be subject to changes throughout the day, depending on the severity of the bad weather and safety conditions.
For its part, Rede Expressos has suspended services between 10:00 and midnight this Wednesday.
Source: www.euronews.com
