A powerful winter storm, dubbed Depression Ingrid, is causing widespread disruption across mainland Portugal, prompting a red alert for several districts and significant travel challenges. Schools have been closed and roads blocked as heavy rain,strong winds,and unusually heavy snowfall impact daily life [[1]]. As of midday Friday, authorities have responded to over 230 incidents, ranging from fallen trees to structural collapses, across the country.
Severe weather from Depression Ingrid has prompted school closures and road shutdowns across mainland Portugal, with heavy rain, strong winds, and unusually low snowfall levels creating hazardous conditions. The storm is impacting travel and daily life throughout the country.
Numerous municipalities suspended classes for Friday, January 23, and also prohibited access to beaches. The disruptions come as a red alert – the highest level – is in effect for several districts.
Between midnight and noon on Friday, Portugal’s Civil Protection agency recorded a total of 231 incidents across the mainland, according to José Costa, an operations official with the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC). These included “82 fallen trees, 70 road clearings, 44 structural collapses, 26 landslides, and nine floods,” Costa stated to the Lusa news agency.
Rail service on the Minho Line was suspended between Caminha and Valença. Thursday saw 349 incidents reported due to the worsening weather.
The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) issued multiple warnings, placing the districts of Braga, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, and Viseu under red alert starting at midnight Friday. In response, Civil Protection placed nearly the entire mainland territory on a Level 3 state of readiness – the third of four possible levels.
A village covered in snow in the Serra da Gralheira mountains due to the passage of Depression Ingrid, in Cinfães, Portugal
PAULO NOVAIS/LUSA
School Closures
In the Braga district, schools in the municipalities of Vieira do Minho and Cabeceiras de Basto were also closed Friday. Fafe, also in Braga, recommended Thursday that students living above 600 meters in elevation stay home if travel conditions and road safety were compromised.
Seven municipalities in the Vila Real district closed schools due to forecasts of snow and ice: Boticas, Ribeira de Pena, Montalegre, Valpaços, Mondim de Basto, Chaves, and Vila Pouca de Aguiar. Students in Vila Real, Alijó, and Sabrosa were dismissed early for safety reasons. Vila Real’s city council announced that, due to deteriorating weather, it proposed closing afternoon classes, a suggestion that school administrators accepted.
Schools were also expected to close in Macedo de Cavaleiros, Vinhais, Mogadouro, and Carrazeda de Ansiães in the Bragança district due to the adverse conditions caused by snowfall. The Miguel Torga School Group in Sabrosa, Vila Real, warned that school transportation to villages in the municipality could be suspended if road conditions became significantly difficult.
In Viseu, three municipalities – Resende, Cinfães, and Castro Daire – closed schools for the entire day, as snow had already begun falling overnight. Tondela, Vouzela, São Pedro do Sul, and Tabuaço decided to close schools during the afternoon. “The safety of our children, young people, and the entire educational community is our priority,” the Tondela municipality stated.
Snow in the Serra da Gralheira mountains during the passage of storm Ingrid in Cinfães
EPA/PAULO NOVAIS
Gouveia, in the Guarda district, closed schools only for the afternoon period, with school transportation limited to the morning. The Guarda Football Association (AFG) postponed youth games scheduled for the weekend due to the worsening weather conditions.
Roads and Rail Lines Blocked
Municipal Road 1030, connecting Cinfães and Castro Daire in the Viseu district, has been closed since 7:30 a.m. due to snowfall. Highway 24 (A24) is closed to traffic between the Fortunho, Vila Real, and Vila Pouca de Aguiar interchanges because of snow. The Itinerary Principal 4 (IP4) in the Marão mountains is also closed in the district.
Regional Road 311 in Salto, Montalegre, was blocked by a truck that became stranded on the roadway.
The Itinerary Complementary (IC5) is closed between the Mogadouro and Sanhoane interchanges, with traffic diverted to National Road (EN221). According to the National Republican Guard (GNR), snow in Mogadouro, Bragança, caused several vehicles to skid on this stretch of road.
Train service on the Minho Line was halted at 6:40 a.m. Friday between Caminha and Valença due to a fallen tree. CP – Comboios de Portugal had warned of potential disruptions related to the worsening weather, and that message remains in effect. Passengers are advised to check the company’s website, app, or customer service line for updates before traveling.
The Paiva Walkways and the 516 Arouca Bridge were closed Friday morning and will remain closed through Sunday, according to the municipality of Arouca. Further north, in the Bragança municipality, the villages of Rio de Onor and Guadramil are inaccessible to traffic due to snow, with access limited to four-wheel-drive vehicles. Approximately 60 people live in these two villages.
In Alfândega da Fé, National Road (EN) 315 in the Bornes mountains, the municipal road to Vila Nova, Soima, and Gebelim, and the municipal road to Colmeias are all closed, according to information posted by the municipality on social media. In Macedo de Cavaleiros, National Road 316, connecting Espadanedo and Vilar de Ouro, is closed. In Carrazeda de Ansiães, there are restrictions on the road to the IC5 and Fontelonga.
Power Outages
Approximately 6,500 E-Redes customers were without power in various parts of northern mainland Portugal as of noon Friday, due to the effects of the bad weather, a company source told Lusa. The outages are concentrated in the Guimarães area, where repairs are underway, and other locations are awaiting restoration of service.
Weather and climate are different concepts. The weather forecast for these days corresponds to the instantaneous state of the atmosphere in Portugal, defined by meteorological variables such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, or wind speed. Climate, however, consists of patterns recorded over many years. Learn more here about how daily weather events can (or cannot) reflect climate change and how these changes are intensifying extreme weather phenomena.
