According to data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), shared by Meteofontes, gusts of 159 kilometres per hour were recorded in Fóia (Monchique), the highest point in the Algarve last night.

However, “There are no serious situations and the incidents, mainly caused by the wind, were all resolved within the municipal scope, without the need to send external resources,” the Algarve regional commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Vítor Vaz Pinto, told Lusa.

According to this official, several houses and buildings were damaged, “but there were no injuries and no need to rehouse anyone”.

“We were expecting more rain but the wind was the main problem, with trees and movable structures falling mainly,” added Vítor Vaz Pinto.

According to regional civil protection services, in Foia, the highest point in the Algarve, located in the Monchique mountains, winds of up to 140 km per hour were recorded.

From 20:00 pm on Wednesday until 8:00 am today, ANEPC's regional services recorded 193 incidents, 143 of which were falling trees.

There were also 16 incidents related to falls of removable structures (mainly advertising panels along roads) and nine falls of construction elements on built structures (mainly scaffolding).

It is also worth mentioning eight situations in which structures that were at risk of falling were removed, three were road cleaning and one was related to flooding.

The prevention device that resolved these incidents mobilized 719 operatives and 235 vehicles from the various civil protection services, among which the firefighters were the most numerous, but also from the PSP (Public Security Police), GNR (National Republican Guard), civil protection services from municipal councils and E-Redes (the company responsible for the distribution network and the transport of electricity to homes).

Regional civil protection services warn that there will be a further worsening of weather conditions this afternoon, but it is not expected to be as adverse as what occurred during the night.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has issued yellow warnings for the Algarve today, with rainfall expected, sometimes heavy, possibly hail and accompanied by thunderstorms, wind gusts of up to 75 km/hour, especially on the coast and in the mountains, and, on the west coast, waves in the sea from the west/southwest of four to five meters, and on the south coast, waves from the southwest of four to four and a half meters.