Portugal had not had such a warm December since 1989. In fact December 2015 was the second warmest December in Portugal for 84 years with a maximum temperature reaching the highest value since 1931.
December’s average temperature was 11.8 degrees Centigrade, about 1.8 degrees above the average. In terms of rain, December had lower than normal rainfall and was the sixth driest since 1931.
Vanda Pires, of the Department of Climatology at the IPMA, commented, "We have seen very wide variation between dry years and wet years," noting that in 2014, Portugal had higher than normal rainfall, last year’s was lower.
To January, as Portugal gets some long-overdue rain with more wind and rain to come; stronger in the north than the Algarve.
Then the snow came for those in the north with roads and schools closed in high areas in the northern and central regions of the country.
Early this morning, roads leading to the top of the Serra da Estrela were closed due snow as were roads in Vila Real, Braga, Viana do Castelo, Bragança and Viseu with Civil Protection and Fire Service teams trying to keep traffic on the move.
The forecast for Wednesday from the IPMA is for more snow above 800 metres.
The Algarve may seem chilly but compared to other less temperate areas, this southern region remains the place to be even though rain is forecast on and off until the January 12th with nightime temperatures dropping steadily until the 20th.
