The skies turned black just after lunchtime and sheets of heavy rain and hailstone fell, particularly on the eastern end of the region.
Cars on the motorway were forced to pull over to let the worst of the weather pass, and in Alcoutim, a car was washed away after a stream burst its banks.
Minor damage was also caused by the unseasonal weather to walls, roads and smaller structures.
A lightning ball struck my patio a great sight to behold . I live in Loule in the Algarve and it was a rare sight literally in my patio.
I saw this plasma ball with diff colour lights init hit theside table bounce to the floor rise again a foot and hit the small sise wall with a crash. It tripped my livhts for a short time.
By Jennifer turkington from Algarve on 21 May 2018, 15:00