“After this milder start to the week and even with rainfall and thunderstorms in many parts of the north and centre, we will see a change in the weather conditions”, said the meteorologist from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

Today, 13 districts are under a yellow warning due to rain and thunderstorms.

According to Ângela Lourenço, the weather in mainland Portugal will be influenced by an anticyclone that is expected to position itself north of the Iberian Peninsula and a depression coming from North Africa.

“These two centres of action will bring a warmer air mass that will gradually affect the continent from Thursday onwards. By the end of the week, we will have high temperatures typical of summer and they should remain until the beginning of next week”, she indicated.

According to the meteorologist, with the information available today, the Alentejo regions should once again record maximum temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees and even higher in some areas.

“This meteorological situation is characterised by being accompanied by warmer nights. We will once again have the famous tropical nights mainly in the southern region, especially in the Algarve”, she said.

Angela Lourenço also highlighted that these climatic conditions with hotter and drier weather and occasionally accompanied by stronger winds, will increase the risk of rural fires.

“We will have very hot days and nights covering almost the entire territory on Saturday and Sunday, with the possibility of the beginning of the week remaining hot. From a formal point of view, there will probably be an episode here that could be classed as a heat wave,” she said.

“Today we have a maximum of 24 degrees in Lisbon and then it will gradually rise and on the 27th, Friday, it will register 33 and on Sunday, 38. Beja today is at 31 and on Saturday it will be close to 40 degrees,” she said.