Storm Charles cancels more than 200 flights in Portugal and shuts schools, as Spain keeps more than 3,000 people evacuated over a dam risk
Airlines cancelled more than 200 flights in and out of Portugal and schools, supermarkets and businesses closed on Wednesday as Storm Charles made landfall with heavy rain and gale-force winds. Portugal's weather service said the storm's eye had split in two over the Atlantic, weakening it before it arrived through the Algarve; civil protection had registered 538 incidents since midnight. In central Spain, authorities kept more than 3,000 people from Piedralaves out of their homes over the risk of a dam overflowing.
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Key points
- More than 200 flights in and out of Portugal were cancelled on Wednesday; schools, supermarkets and businesses closed.
- IPMA says the storm's eye split in two over the Atlantic, weakening it before it reached the Algarve.
- Civil protection had registered 538 incidents since midnight and kept high alert for flash floods, wind and rough seas.
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- In Spain, more than 3,000 people from Piedralaves remain evacuated over the risk of a dam overflowing.
What happened
Charles arrived on ground already soaked by Storm Bruna, which has brought heavy rain to Portugal and Spain since Sunday, flooding areas including Lisbon road tunnels. Portugal's government, criticised for its slow response to a succession of storms in January and February, moved before landfall this time: emergency services and army units on alert, classes cancelled and non-essential public services shut.
Madeira felt the storm first, with flooding and fallen trees, and one man rescued after water flooded his garage. Charles was then expected to move into southwestern Spain on Wednesday afternoon, adding rain to the areas Bruna had already flooded.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- More than 200 flights were cancelled and schools and businesses closed across Portugal on Wednesday.
- Civil protection registered 538 incidents since midnight; IPMA says the storm weakened as its eye split over the Atlantic.
- More than 3,000 people in Piedralaves, Spain, remain evacuated over a dam-overflow risk; no casualties were reported in Madeira.
What we don't know yet
- Whether anyone has been killed or injured on the mainland — no casualty figure has been established.
- How much damage the storm has done to homes, roads and power supplies — assessments are still coming in.
- When the Piedralaves evacuees will be allowed home, and when flights and schools will return to normal.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (4)
Why this label: Reuters' report from Lisbon, read in full via CNA, describing both the cancellations and the government's pre-emptive steps.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: IPMA's account of the storm's behaviour, reported by Reuters; the 'less severe' assessment is the same report's.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Silvestre is the responsible civil protection commander and the primary source for the incident count; the rescue and the no-casualties wording are Reuters', tied to Madeira in that report.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The evacuation, the dam risk and AEMET's warning are all in Reuters' report; the Piedralaves evacuation began on Tuesday, before Charles itself arrived, under the Bruna rains.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Two storms in four days have closed schools and airports in Portugal and forced thousands from their homes in Spain, with saturated ground raising the flash-flood risk from every further band of rain. The Piedralaves evacuation turns on a dam's safety, so the rainfall still to come matters more than the wind that has passed.
Background
Storm Bruna begins bringing heavy rain to Portugal and Spain, flooding several areas.
More than 3,000 people are evacuated from Piedralaves, central Spain, over the risk of a dam overflowing.
Storm Charles makes landfall in Portugal through the Algarve; more than 200 flights are cancelled and schools shut, and the storm moves towards southwestern Spain.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published in Checking state — the cancellations, closures and evacuations are confirmed, and damage assessments and any mainland casualty figures are still to come.