In statements to Lusa news agency, the meteorologist from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), said that some humidity is expected from today, temperatures will drop and showers are forecast, which, however, will only reach the North and Center regions, the regions most affected by the fires, on Friday.

According to Patrícia Gomes, maximum temperatures will start to drop from this afternoon, with a variation of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius, depending on the region.

There will also be a slight change in the air mass affecting the mainland.

“These warmer days have been the result of a very intense easterly current that carries hot, dry air and from this afternoon onwards the wind will have a more westerly component, meaning it will also end up bringing some humidity, but it may not reach the inland regions, it may only stay in the coastal region, but still with some humidity”, she stated.

According to Patrícia Gomes, the weather will change from Thursday onwards, with the anticyclone starting to lose its influence.

“We will have a depression centred to the west of the Iberian Peninsula with a depression trough at medium and high levels. This situation will cause showers throughout the territory, which may be accompanied by thunderstorms. Tomorrow [Thursday] we are still talking about the probabilities and if it does occur it will be mainly in the South, inland Alentejo and inland Algarve”, she indicated.

However, according to the meteorologist, showers are forecast for Friday and will also occur in the North and Centre regions.

As for the drop in temperature, Patrícia Gomes gave the example of a maximum of 29 degrees for today in Aveiro, while 23 degrees are expected on Friday.

“All of this combined ends up causing the risk of fire to gradually decrease. The most significant parameter is not the temperature. The most significant are the humidity and mainly the intensity of the wind. People associate the increase in temperature with the risk of fire, but this is not the most significant parameter for the risk of fire”, she added.