Portugal and especially Lisbon are on the alert with the arrival of a hurricane category 1 named Leslie. This new hurricane is currently evolving on the eastern part of the Atlantic northwest of the Canary Islands. Leslie is a category 1 hurricane. It is heading east at a speed of 52 km / h. The estimated pressure is 971 hPa. Average winds are around 140 km / h, wind gusts can approach 170 km / h and expected waves will reach 12 meters in height. A weather alert for bad weather and strong winds has been issued for Lisbon from this Saturday 12h. Bob, the expatriate's assistant in Portugal, tells you all about Leslie, the hurricane that will hit Lisbon this weekend.
Gust at 170 km / h in the Lisbon region
The impact is expected for this weekend. The most exposed area extends globally on a triangle between the south-west of Portugal, the strait of Gibraltar until the Moroccan coasts then the archipelagos of Madeira and Canaries.
The west coast of Portugal will be swept tonight by winds of 150 km / h. Leslie will hit the Lisbon area directly, where gusts could reach 130 km / h with heavy thunderstorms.
The sea is disassembled, and waves of 7 meters are expected this Saturday afternoon. Tonight and night, they would reach almost 12 meters high (size of a building of 4 floors!), Still on the coast of Lisbon. It will be better to avoid the beaches which will probably be submerged.
Only five hurricanes have affected this area of the Atlantic in the past: Debbie in 1961, Faith in 1966, Fran in 1973 and more recently Vince in 2005 or Ophelia in 2017.
Going east in the next few hours, it will impact the Portuguese island of Madeira and Porto Santo during Saturday's day before heading to the Gulf of Cadiz on Sunday. The weather is likely to be very high with winds reaching 150 km / h and heavy rainfall. Leslie, however, should weaken Sunday near the southern coast of Spain and Portugal, downgraded to a tropical storm. Continuing eastward, Leslie is expected to travel between the Strait of Gibraltar and southern Spain between Sunday and Monday. Winds and rains would remain very marked.
Alert on Portugal
The population of the Iberian Peninsula must remain vigilant to the weather warnings that are already issued. The maximum weather warning could be triggered on Saturday 12 noon on Portugal for the Lisbon region. Bob obviously advises you to stay at home and only go out if absolutely necessary.