Red alert: Storm Charles hits today, and schools are closed

November 11, 2026, Portugal

Morning. It's Wednesday, 11 November. Lisbon 18° · Porto 18° · Faro 23°, with red wind warnings in eight districts, heavy rain across the mainland and a national state of alert. Stay in if you can. Let's get into it.

📰 THE MAIN STORY

The government has declared a situação de alerta, a state of alert, for the whole country today, the interior minister, Luís Neves, announced, reported by Diário de Notícias. IPMA, the national weather service, has red wind warnings, its highest level, until 9pm for Lisbon, Setúbal, Faro, Beja, Évora, Santarém, Leiria and Portalegre, with gusts of up to 120 km/h and up to 140 km/h in the most exposed places. Most other districts are on orange for rain or wind, and waves of 5 to 7 metres, possibly up to 13, are forecast on the south-west coast this afternoon.

What it means for you: today is not a normal day, so plan around it.

Watch out for: high tide is at 3:20pm, which raises the risk of flooding near rivers and the sea. APA, the environment agency, lists 101 municipalities at risk of urban flooding, including Faro, Albufeira, Tavira, Coimbra and Figueira da Foz. Don't park in underground car parks or flood-prone streets, keep a torch and charged phones to hand, and expect possible power cuts. E-REDES, the electricity network, has activated its crisis plan.

Storm Kristin is still fresh in people's minds here, and IPMA's meteorologist Bruno Café said that a repeat cannot be ruled out, though it would be very unlucky. Madeira had red warnings overnight, while the Azores are not expected to be affected. Today is also São Martinho, so most chestnut celebrations will have to wait for a calmer day.

In short: stay at home today if you can, keep your phone charged, and check IPMA and your council for updates.

⚡ IN BRIEF

Prices in restaurants and cafés have risen 47.6% since September 2019, almost double the 24.2% rise in prices overall, according to INE, the national statistics institute, reported by The Portugal News. In the past 12 months alone, eating out went up 6.8%, against 3.6% for everything else.

Greater Lisbon saw the biggest jump, at 54%. Even the francesinha, Porto's famous meat-and-cheese sandwich, now has a median price of €13.30 in the city, according to a survey by boaescolha.pt.

Portuguese emigrants held protests outside Portugal's embassy in Brussels and the consulate in London yesterday, in support of the acampadas, the tent protests over housing in Portuguese cities, reported by The Portugal News. They planned to hand a letter of demands to Portuguese diplomats.

At home, the Casa para Viver platform has called a national housing demonstration for Saturday 14 November, with rallies at 3pm in Lisbon and Porto.

📍 WORTH THE TRIP

Save this one for a dry weekend. Walk out onto the long stone bridge over the River Lima and the town spreads along the bank behind you, all granite houses and church towers. Ponte de Lima calls itself the oldest vila, or chartered town, in Portugal, with a charter from 1125, and it sits about 26 km upstream from Viana do Castelo.

The bridge has Roman origins and was extended in the 14th century, and today it's for walkers only, lit up at night. The town grew on the Roman road from Braga to Santiago de Compostela, and pilgrims on the Portuguese Way still cross it. Look into the 15th-century Igreja Matriz and the toy museum, the Museu do Brinquedo Português. The catch: there's no train, so you'll need a car or a bus.

Before you go: buses run from Braga in about 30 minutes and from Porto in about 2 hours 20 minutes. The nearest train stations are in Viana do Castelo and Braga.

Local tip: come on a market Monday. The Feira Quinzenal, held every other Monday on the riverbank, is said to be the oldest market in Portugal. Finish with a glass of vinho verde in Largo de Camões.

Find it here: Google Maps

WORD OF THE DAY

Say it: zheh-roo-PEE-guh

Meaning: a sweet, strong drink made from grape must and grape spirit, served with roasted chestnuts

“Hoje é São Martinho: castanhas assadas e um copo de jeropiga.”
It's São Martinho today: roasted chestnuts and a glass of jeropiga.

It's the classic drink of the magusto, the chestnut feast held around today. If the storm keeps you in, a bag of chestnuts in the oven and a small glass of jeropiga still counts.

Today's outdoor events may be cancelled or postponed because of the storm, so check with organisers before you go.

North

Porto

Centre

Lisbon

South

Islands

Até amanhã,

Gabriel - DailyPortugal