The heavy rain has paralyzed Lisbon and much of the country’s interior since early Tuesday. Nearly thirty neighborhoods in the capital and its metropolitan districts near the Tagus River are the hardest hit by floods. Dozens have been evacuated from homes and hospitals have treated residents showing hypothermia symptoms.
The relentless downpour pushed the river to flood levels, stressing sewage systems and drainage networks. City officials say two factors have made it particularly hard to prevent damage. Mayor Carlos Moedas described Lisbon as not having been prepared for this scale of rainfall for 20 years. He stressed that while measures will help, they cannot stop the weather entirely. The immediate aim is to assist those affected, he said, calling for calm and assuring that the City Council is coordinating with the fire service and Civil Protection to restore normalcy as swiftly as possible.
Alongside evacuations, schools in Lisbon and neighboring municipalities have closed. Parents are urged to pick up children before noon to avoid potential accidents and security issues. In Oeiras, mayor Isaltino Morais advised residents to stay vigilant as conditions forced road closures and disrupted access to the capital, causing delays on train and metro lines.
National authorities report a large surge in emergency calls. Commander André Fernandes of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Agency noted more than 800 incidents linked to the flood. Streets closed to traffic, houses flooded, and workplaces affected kept firefighters busy in the early hours. Officials urged residents to remain indoors given the forecast of worsening conditions in the hours ahead.
nationwide alert
The Portuguese Weather Institute IPMA issued an orange warning for heavy rain across most of the country, expected to last at least until 15:00 local time. Beyond Lisbon, Evora and Portalegre counties reported significant events in interior regions near rivers. Civil Protection indicated that roughly 5,000 soldiers have been deployed nationwide to respond to the unfolding emergencies.
The current weather pattern represents a recurrence of rapid rains within a short period, prompting warnings of more intense bursts that could trigger additional evacuations in Lisbon and its surroundings. City officials acknowledged that the drainage system has shown its vulnerabilities again, highlighting the need for long overdue infrastructure upgrades. A drainage tunnel project has sat dormant in municipal plans for years, with advocates arguing that this disaster underscores the urgency of advancing such investments.