“The only thing I would like to add is to ask the population to pay attention to all the warnings issued by Civil Protection in terms of the most prudent behaviours to adopt at these times”, said António Leitão Amaro.

The center and south of the country are expected to be particularly affected by strong hailstorms, accompanied by thunderstorms, over the next three days, according to a Civil Protection alert, regarding the possibility of extreme wind phenomena.

Based on forecasts from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Civil Protection issued a warning to the population according to which "greater potential for severity" is expected in the lower Alentejo and Algarve.

Given the forecasts, the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority warned of the possibility of flooding in urban areas, floods caused by the overflow of rivers and streams and landslides.

There is also the possibility of contamination of drinking water by "inert substances resulting from rural fires".

The dragging of loose objects onto the roads, or the detachment of mobile or poorly fixed structures, due to strong wind can "cause accidents with vehicles in circulation" and pedestrians on public roads, the Authority specified in a statement.

In the Algarve, the intense rain that fell in the morning for around 20 minutes flooded roads in Moncarapacho, in the municipality of Olhão, and cellars and shops in downtown Albufeira, a Civil Protection source told Lusa.

Albufeira was the municipality in the district of Faro where the highest number of incidents was recorded, of which five were on public roads, followed by Moncarapacho, but none of them were serious.