The harbour authority says it has received from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) “a warning of signal 6 (bad weather) for the Madeira archipelago”, which “corresponds to wind force 7 (51 to 62 kilometres per hour) from any direction”.

The maritime authority also issued a warning of strong winds, in effect until 06:00 on Wednesday (the bad weather warning does not indicate a time).

The waves may reach three metres on the north coast, while in the south they should not exceed one metre.

The Funchal Harbour Authority is appealing to the maritime community and the general public to take due care "both when preparing to go to sea and when at sea or in coastal areas".

Increasing the mooring and close surveillance of moored and anchored vessels, avoiding walks along the sea and exposed areas and not engaging in recreational fishing are some of the recommendations.