2026 Storms in Portugal & Spain
As rising temperatures due to global warming can cause drought and wildfires in Portugal and Spain so can they also greatly exacerbate winter storms. The warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture leading to heavier rainfall and thus fooding.
Since the beginning of 2026 Iberia has suffered from a succession of destructive storms and cyclones each seemingly worse than the one before.
Storm Kristin
First came Storm Kristin (Tempestade Kristin) in late January 2026. This recording-breaking weather event wreaked havoc especially where it made landfall in the Leiria district of central Portugal. The cyclone saw the strongest winds ever registered in the country reaching over 200 km/hour.
Since the traditional construction of houses and industrial buildings are not prepared for these extreme climatic conditions there was huge damage all over the Leiria, Coimbra, Castelo Branco and Santarém areas of central Portugal.
There were widespread power cuts affecting 1,000s of people, internet blackouts and many injuries due to the storms themselves and in the subsequent clean up process that followed. Debris blocked roads including the main Lisbon-Porto highway, schools were closed and the railways were also affected.
Storm Leonardo
Kristin was followed by Storm Leonardo which has caused floods from north to south all over the country and caused fatalities in both Portugal [2] and Spain. There were even very rare orange snow alerts in Viseu, Porto, Guarda and Braga with snowfall expected in areas above 800 - 1,000 meters. Authorities urged residents to prepare emergency kits. In addition both the Azores and Madeira islands were affected by strong winds, heavy rain and sea turbulence.
As well as the human cost the financial cost has also been severe.
Following Storm Kristin, Portugal faces more than 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in direct reconstruction costs, Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida was quoted as saying. [1] Indeed, the government estimates it will take around a year for the area to fully recover.
Resources
[1] Reuters
[2] BBC
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