Electricity is off, schools are closed and roads are blocked due to intense snowfall that hit the north and centre of Portugal yesterday (Thursday) continuing into early morning.
Though the snow is likely to stop falling, Portugal is braced for another cold, wet weekend.
Districts of Vila Real, Viseu, Guarda and Castelo Branco are already covered in snow, and GNR police have registered various accidents – none serious.
Affected roads are currently being cleared of snow as well as fallen trees and electricity poles.
Meantime, schools in Montalegre and Vila Pouca de Aguiar have shut, giving hundreds of pupils an unexpected long weekend.
In Lisbon, floods, tree falls and accidents were also reported – again without serious consequences.
Rádio Renascença adds that the bad weather, including rain and cold, is here to stay, with “slightly higher temperatures” for Saturday and Sunday.
Maximums of 18ºC, 17ºC and 16ºC are expected for Faro, Lisbon and Porto, while minimums will range between 10ºC and 6ºC except in northern inland areas, where they can drop to as low as 2ºC.
