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Portugal hurricane guide

Mainland Portugal is too far north for a hurricane to arrive at full strength. The real risk is the remnants of Atlantic hurricanes, which can reach Portugal as powerful post-tropical or extratropical storms with winds at or near hurricane force. The clearest example is ex-Hurricane Leslie in October 2018, which came ashore near Figueira da Foz overnight as a post-tropical storm and still produced one of the strongest wind gusts ever recorded in Portugal. The Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (ANEPC) is the national authority for emergencies and civil protection, and the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA) issues weather warnings by district using a green, yellow, orange, and red colour scale. Follow ANEPC and IPMA for official guidance rather than the name a storm carried in the Atlantic.

Checked on November 6, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from the Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (ANEPC). In an emergency, call 112.

What to know in Portugal

  • ANEPC's own homepage states, in Portuguese, to call 112 in an emergency, confirming Portugal uses the same EU-wide number as the rest of the European Union.
  • IPMA's warning colours: green means no hazardous weather is expected; yellow means a risk to some weather-dependent activities, so watch how conditions develop; orange is moderate to high risk, the second most serious level, and IPMA tells people to follow ANEPC's guidance; red is extreme risk, and IPMA again points people to ANEPC. A grey marker means the information is still being updated.
  • Ex-Hurricane Leslie made landfall near Figueira da Foz overnight on 13 to 14 October 2018 as a post-tropical storm. Portuguese press reporting IPMA data put the peak gust at the Figueira da Foz weather station at about 176 km/h (109 mph), described as the highest gust recorded at an IPMA network station at the time, above the previous record of 169 km/h from October 2015. An academic study of the storm describes it as a rare landfall on the Iberian Peninsula, possibly involving a sting jet, a narrow band of very strong descending wind sometimes found in intense storms.
  • Portuguese press reporting the civil protection authority's own count said Leslie left about 27 to 28 people with minor injuries and 61 people displaced from their homes, most in Coimbra district, with nearly 1,900 reported incidents, mostly fallen trees, collapsed structures, and flooding. The municipality of Soure, in Coimbra district, declared a public calamity after about 90 percent of homes were damaged in 8 of its 10 civil parishes.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Emergency 112 The EU-wide emergency number. ANEPC's own site tells people to call 112 in an emergency.
ANEPC (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil) +351-214-247-100 General office line at ANEPC headquarters in Carnaxide. Not for emergencies, use 112.
Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa (Portuguese Red Cross), national headquarters +351-213-913-900 General headquarters line in Lisbon. Not an emergency number.

Official alerts and information

  • IPMA weather warnings: Official warning levels for every mainland district, plus Madeira and the Azores. The same page the Azores entry on this site uses, since it covers the whole country. Website.
  • ANEPC (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil): Portugal's national civil protection authority. In Portuguese, with sections on prevention, the civil protection system, and news on current operations. Website.

National resources

  • ANEPC (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil): The government's own entry for ANEPC, with its role and contact details. Website.
  • Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa (Portuguese Red Cross): National humanitarian organization active in emergency response, including support for communities hit by severe storms, with an emergency fund readers can support. Website.

For state agencies across the country, see the official sources page.

Radio, TV and weather

Keep a battery or hand crank radio. When power and cell service fail, radio is often the only way to hear official updates.

Official forecasts

  • IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera): Portugal's national weather and sea institute. Its warnings page covers all mainland districts, looking ahead 72 hours, for strong wind, heavy rain, snow, thunderstorms, cold, heat, persistent fog, and rough sea. Website.
  • National Hurricane Center: US forecasts for Atlantic storms, useful for tracking a storm that might later reach Portugal as a post-tropical system. Follow IPMA and ANEPC for official warnings in Portugal. Website.

After the storm: help for displaced residents

If your home is damaged or you cannot go back, these organizations help with shelter, food, money, and paperwork. Many programs open only after a disaster declaration, so check their pages for current status.

Relief organizations

  • Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa (Portuguese Red Cross): National Red Cross society. Its recent work includes support for communities hit by extreme storms and an emergency fund for disaster response. Phone: +351-213-913-900. Website.

Sources

Checked on November 6, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.