storm
Tornado probability: dead and injured in Portugal
A powerful storm in the Algarve has killed a woman. The weather agency is investigating whether a tornado was responsible for the damage in Albufeira.
A woman died in a powerful storm in the tourist town of Albufeira on Portugal’s southern coast. Two other people were seriously injured and 19 people had minor injuries, state news agency Lusa reported, citing civil protection authorities. Initially nothing was known about possible foreign victims. The state weather agency assumed the storm in the Algarve was a tornado, Lusa reported. However, further examination is needed.
The victim died and one of the people who was seriously injured was at the campsite. According to Lusa, the second seriously injured victim was a hotel guest. State TV station RTP showed cars with broken windows, torn branches and badly damaged buildings.
Tornadoes, especially violent ones that cause destruction and can be life-threatening, are rare in the Algarve but not completely unknown. This is most likely to happen in autumn, when cold air from the north meets sea air that is still warm and humid.
In November 2012, a tornado with winds of up to 270 kilometers per hour hit the Algarve, leaving a path of destruction about 300 meters wide. At that time 13 people were injured.
dpa
