Bad Weather Outages: 25,000 Customers Without Power
Power Restored to Thousands After Severe Storms in Portugal
Table of Contents
storm Impact and Response
As of 12 pm local time on November 5, 2024, approximately 25,000 customers were without power across Portugal following severe weather conditions. E-REDES, the country’s electricity distributor, anticipates a swift resolution to remaining outages as weather is expected to improve throughout the afternoon.
The situation began to improve significantly around 11 am, with the number of affected customers dropping from an initial 42,000.The most impacted regions at that time were identified as Santarém, Castelo branco, and Portalegre.
Escalation and Peak Outages
E-REDES activated a state of alert at 8 pm on november 4, 2024, in anticipation of worsening weather. The adverse conditions initially affected the northern area of Lisbon at 4:00 am on November 5th, then spread towards the interior of the country.
The number of faults and outages escalated throughout the morning. At 7 am, 53 faults were reported, impacting around 31,000 customers. This rose to 37,000 affected customers by 8 am, with the Mondego and Tagus regions experiencing the most critical issues. A peak of approximately 60,000 customers without power was recorded at 8:30 am.
Lightning Strikes and Mobilization
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) recorded nearly 23,000 lightning strikes between 8 pm on Tuesday, November 4th, and 8 am on Wednesday, November 5th. These strikes were detected by IPMA’s atmospheric electrical discharge detection network, which includes stations in Viana do castelo, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Santa Cruz, and Olhão.
E-REDES mobilized 500 employees to address the widespread outages and restore power across the affected areas. The company stated it remains fully engaged in resolving all outstanding issues for its customers.