The warning comes as heavy showers are expected in the districts of Faro and Beja until the early afternoon.

The districts of Guarda, Faro, Beja and Castelo Branco are today under yellow warning due to the forecast of sometimes heavy showers and snowfall in the highlands.

According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), the warning of showers for Faro and Beja, which is in effect since midnight, will remain until 15:00 today.

The IPMA also issued a yellow warning for the Guarda and Castelo Branco districts due to snowfall above 700/800 metres between midnight and 09:00 today.

The institute underlined that snow could accumulate at altitudes above thousand metres, reaching up to five centimetres in the Torre da Serra da Estrela.

The statement warned of possible disturbances caused by snowfall and possible ice formation, including “conditioned or blocked roads, damage to structures or trees and impaired local supplies”.

The IPMA also issued a yellow warning for the district of Faro due to maritime agitation on the south coast, with waves from the southeast between two and three meters high, between 12:00 on Thursday and 15:00 on Friday.

The yellow warning, the least serious, is issued by the IPMA whenever there is a risk situation for certain activities dependent on weather conditions.

For today, the IPMA predicts periods of very cloudy skies on the continent, with showers mainly in the Southern region. There is a possibility of snowfall in the mountains of the North and Centre and sometimes strong wind in the highlands.

The forecast also points to frost formation, especially in the interior regions.