Suspected Tornado in Portugal: deaths and serious damage

The storm caused extensive damage to campsites at the holiday resort of Albufeira in the Algarve.

Source: dpa

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, the civil defense announced on Saturday. The deceased was an 85-year-old British woman who was staying at a campsite at the Albufeira holiday resort. Five other people were injured there, two of them seriously.

As of now, according to the civil defense, there are no more missing people there. However, there was serious damage to property at the campsite. According to civil defense, the roof of a restaurant near Albufeira collapsed, injuring 20 people.

An aerial view of the destruction caused by a tornado in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, Brazil, on November 8, 2025. — Tornadoes recently caused severe damage in Brazil. At least six people died and hundreds were injured.

November 9, 2025 | 0:30 min

The weather service suspected a tornado

The state weather agency assumed the storm in the Algarve was a tornado, state news agency Lusa reported. However, further examination is needed.

State TV station RTP showed cars with broken windows, torn branches and badly damaged buildings.

Portugal's extreme weather — A look at the storm’s devastation at a campsite in Albufeira.

Source: dpa

A hurricane warning is in effect for several regions in southern Portugal. On Thursday, two pensioners in Setubal, south of Lisbon, died in their home which was flooded by a severe storm. Since Wednesday, civil defense has recorded more than 3,300 missions due to fallen trees, flooding or other accidents caused by hurricane “Claudia”.

This is how a tornado looks like: A rotating tube of updraft, which extends from the base of the thundercloud to the ground, can form when the wind changes significantly with height, when its strength increases and the direction of the wind changes.

Tornadoes in the Algarve are rare but possible

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.

How hurricanes form: