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Iberian
Peninsula braces for more bad weather one week after Storm Kristin
By
Reuters
February
3, 20269:32 AM GMT+1Updated 33 mins ago
LISBON,
Feb 3 (Reuters) - Portugal and Spain are bracing for a new storm that
authorities warn could trigger floods and further devastation, as the Iberian
Peninsula still struggles with the aftermath of Storm Kristin.
The
Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) said late Monday that
the new storm, named Leonardo, is expected to begin impacting mainland Portugal
from Tuesday afternoon through Saturday. The storm is also expected to hit
neighbouring Spain from Wednesday.
The
Iberian Peninsula has experienced a succession of storms bringing heavy rain,
thunder, snow and strong gales in the last few months, with southern Spain
facing what some residents describe as its wettest winter in 40 years.
IPMA said
Leonardo may bring persistent and at times heavy rain, with wind gusts reaching
up to 75 km/h (47 mph) along the coast south of Cabo Mondego in the country's
central region, and 95 km/h in the highlands.
The
gusts, however, should be less intense than those exceeding 200 km/h unleashed
by Storm Kristin, which battered central mainland Portugal from early last
Wednesday, killing at least six people and leaving a trail of destruction
across homes, factories and critical infrastructure.
Daniela
Fraga, deputy commander of national emergency and civil protection authority
ANEPC, told reporters late on Monday that heavy rain in the coming days could
lead to floods and inundations, mainly in the regions that were affected by
Storm Kristin.
Nearly
134,000 households were still without electricity, around 95,000 of them in the
Leiria region in the centre of the country, power distribution company E-Redes
said.
In Spain,
weather authorities warned of intense and persistent rainfall across the south.
In the Grazalema mountains, accumulated rainfall could exceed 200-250 mm in 24
hours. Officials have issued alerts for severe flood risk due to rising river
levels.
Reporting
by Sergio Goncalves; Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Hugh
Lawson
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