Back in early October everyone in Portugal was praying for rain. We’d had an unusually warm dry spring and a long hot summer that continued well into what is normally autumn. According to Portugal’s Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), 2022 was the second driest year since records began in 1931.
Then it began to rain, and rain and rain. As I write I can still hear the rain drumming outside my house.
Winters in Portugal are mild compared to other countries in Europe with average temperatures in the day time reaching around 14-15 degrees Celcius (57-59 F.) November and December are typically the wettest months with most rain falling in the central and northern parts of the country.
This year we have had a “bumper crop” of rain and it has cast a pall on everyone I talk to. It’s not just the daily showers and drizzle. While not quite on the California level, we’ve had periods of torrential downpours which have caused serious damage. During two days in December, the capital city of Lisbon received 15 percent of normal total annual rainfall. Neighborhoods like Alges and Alcantara had dangerous flooding. Pictures on the evening news showed water pouring into metro stations. Dozens of homes had to be evacuated and one woman died when she was caught in a flooded basement.
Porto’s turn to swim
In January it was the turn of Porto, the country’s second largest city. It is located on the coast about four-hours north of Lisbon by train, at the mouth of the Rio Douro. A twenty-minute cloudburst on January 8 transformed streets in the center of the city into raging rivers. The downtown São Bento train station was flooded. News coverage showed a man being borne along by a torrent of water and mud.
The other aspect of this endless rain is the dampness inside the home. Typical Portuguese houses are not well-designed or constructed to ward off the effects of high humidity. Everyone I talk to has a constant battle against mold, mildew and condensation. The best advice I could give anyone who plans to buy a house, or who has recently moved into a Portuguese house, is buy a dehumidifier! Buy the biggest one you can find. You will need it!
Water was released at the Barragem do Castelo de Bode near Tomar in mid-January because the lake behind it was becoming overfull. The dam was built in the mid-20th Century to contain waters of the Zezere river, a tributary of the Tagus which flows past Lisbon. The release of water was used to generate electricity. I’ve been told that the 60 km-long artificial lake created by the dam holds sufficient water for the region for two years of use.
Sunny Days Ahead – I hope
Thankfully, my trusty iPhone is showing that next week, we will have a few days of sunshine!! Hooray!!
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Rosalie in the Red and Green 