Portugal heatwave eases on the coast but four interior districts stay under red alert into Monday

Record-breaking temperatures

Portugal has been gripped by an intense heatwave, with the station at Alvega, in Abrantes municipality, recording 44.1°C on Saturday 4 July, the highest reading in the country that day. Mora, in Évora district, followed with 43.6°C, and several other locations exceeded 42°C. The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) said maximum temperatures could reach 44°C and overnight lows have stayed between 24°C and 28°C, producing what it called tropical nights.

Red alerts and government response

On Sunday 5 July, the IPMA extended the red warning (the most severe on a three-tier scale) to nine districts: Portalegre, Évora, Beja, Santarém, Lisbon, Setúbal, Castelo Branco, Guarda and Bragança. The remaining mainland districts were under orange warning. The government declared a nationwide alert situation on Thursday 2 July, running from midnight Friday to 23:59 Monday, citing a "significant worsening of the rural fire risk". Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves said on Saturday that the alert would likely be extended into the following week.

The state of alert in Portugal should be maintained next week, as the coming days will continue to be very hot.

Firefighting and civil protection

Portugal's National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) raised its special readiness to level III (intermediate/high) on Wednesday 1 July and reinforced the rural firefighting apparatus to maximum capacity. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced on Friday that Portugal would activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism and bilateral agreements with Spain and Morocco to bolster firefighting resources. The government also issued exceptional orders prohibiting the use of agricultural machinery to reduce ignition risks.

Coastal cooldown, interior still baking

Meteorologist Madalena Rodrigues told SIC Notícias that the heatwave may persist another one or two days on the coast and three to four days in the interior. A gradual temperature drop is expected from Monday as maritime air arrives, with falls of 4°C to 7°C in the North and Centre coastal regions. On Monday, red warnings remain only for Bragança, Guarda, Castelo Branco and Portalegre until 23:00, while Vila Real, Viseu, Santarém, Setúbal, Évora, Beja, Faro and the Madeira mountains are under orange warning. Lisbon is forecast to reach 37°C, Porto 26°C, and Faro 34°C.

On the coast, the heatwave may continue another one or two days. In the interior, at least another three or four days.

What comes next

By Tuesday 7 July, no red warnings are expected on the mainland. Interior districts will drop to orange, and tropical nights (minimums above 20°C) will end. Maximum temperatures will still be high: Lisbon 35°C, Setúbal 36°C, Bragança and Portalegre 38°C, and Castelo Branco, Évora and Beja 40°C. From Wednesday, no weather warnings are currently in force, though temperatures in the interior may again approach 40°C. The IPMA noted that this is Portugal's sixth heatwave of 2026, with earlier events recorded in February, March (two), April, May and June.