"These events have become more energetic. They reach the Azores with more energy and therefore have a greater potential for destruction. Therefore, it is important that everything done regarding infrastructure from this date onwards is done with a view to a new limit to which they must withstand," he stated in a statement to journalists.

The head of the Climate and Climate Change division at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) was speaking in Praia da Vitória, Azores, on the sidelines of the international conference "Weather, Climate, and the Economy."

According to Ricardo Deus, "the Azores, due to their geographical location, end up being somewhat protected from many of the extreme events that continental territories and some islands experience."

However, they are "a transit zone for major storms," which have been hitting the region with greater intensity in recent years.

"We may be talking about a situation, in a context of global warming, in which these extreme events generated in the Atlantic could gain more strength and intensity, and when they reach island territories, such as the Azores, they could have even greater destructive potential," he warned.

A recent example was Hurricane Lorenzo, which passed through the Azores in 2019, causing damage estimated by the Azorean government at 330 million euros, including the destruction of the only commercial port on the island of Flores.

"It was the first Category V hurricane to reach the region so far east and north. It's a matter of concern. It didn't reach the Azores as a Category V hurricane, but it was the first of its kind to reach the region with any intensity," the meteorologist emphasized.

Ricardo Deus emphasized, however, that the Azores are the region in Portugal "best prepared" to face these phenomena.

"People experience the impact of several storms throughout the year. The Azoreans are better prepared for these phenomena, and I think the infrastructure is relatively ready," he noted.

The president of the National Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Filipe Duarte Santos, also admitted that tropical cyclones could move further north and hit the Azores, despite the region being less prone to other types of extreme events, such as high temperatures and drought.

Given this scenario, he argued that "what's needed is better warning systems" so that "people know when a storm is approaching and can take action."