Portugal Closes Every School, Cancels 300-Plus Flights as Storm Charles Sweeps Into Iberia

Portugal came to a near standstill on Wednesday as Storm Charles pushed in from the Atlantic, with the government closing every school in the country, shutting non-essential public services and telling people to stay home. About 8,000 schools called off classes nationwide, which Euronews described as the first time in living memory that a storm forecast alone had prompted such a step ^[1]. More than 300 flights in and out of Portugal were cancelled, and operations stopped at four international airports, Al Jazeera reported ^[2].

Forecasters had warned of heavy rain, rough seas and gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour, or about 87 miles per hour ^[1]. The national weather agency, IPMA, recorded gusts above 120 km/h (about 75 mph) in some areas, and the wind and rain swept across the mainland without severe damage, according to Al Jazeera ^[2]. Reuters reported that Charles came ashore through the southern Algarve weaker than first expected after its eye split in two over the ocean ^[3].

A Country Told to Stay Home

The shutdown reached far beyond the classroom. The government ordered remote work across the civil service, long-distance coaches were halted, rail and river links were cut or restricted, and ports placed limits on shipping, Euronews reported ^[1]. Pingo Doce, a national supermarket chain, closed all of its stores ^[1], and Reuters counted hundreds of supermarkets and businesses shut across the country ^[3]. Empty buses rolled through Lisbon, where clogged drains left some streets flooded ^[2].

Lisbon firefighters handled about 50 incidents between midnight and 10 a.m., mostly flooding along with downed electrical cables and a fallen tree, and no one was hurt, The Portugal News reported, citing the Lusa news agency ^[5]. Nationwide, Civil Protection commander Mario Silvestre said 538 incidents had been logged since midnight and that authorities were keeping alert levels high for flash floods, wind and rough seas, according to Reuters ^[3]. The red alert, Portugal's highest emergency level, at first covered more than half the country, but by mid-afternoon only the Algarve in the south remained under it ^[2].

The Atlantic island of Madeira took the first blow. Charles struck there Tuesday with 130 km/h (81 mph) winds, bringing flooding near Funchal ^[2]. Madeira recorded more than 200 incidents overnight, mostly flooding, fallen trees and landslides ^[5], and rescuers saved a man who was swept away when his garage flooded; no casualties were reported ^[3].

IPMA meteorologist Jorge Ponte told broadcaster SIC that the storm's split into two centers "made all the difference," as the system passed farther south of Madeira than forecast and drifted away from a jet stream tied to the separate Storm Bruna ^[1].

Lessons From Storm Kristin

The sweeping precautions were shaped by January's Storm Kristin, which battered central Portugal, brought down thousands of trees and left widespread property damage that is still being repaired ^[2]. The center-right government drew harsh criticism then for weak preparation and response ^[2], and Reuters noted it was faulted for a slow response to storms in both January and February ^[3]. This time, emergency services backed by the armed forces were put on maximum alert to avoid a repeat of what Euronews called the tragedy of Kristin ^[1].

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro chaired a crisis unit of eight ministers and other officials, and Interior Minister Luís Neves rejected suggestions that the government had overreacted, saying the response matched what forecasters predicted ^[2].

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For American readers, the episode is a study in the duty of those in authority to protect the people in their care, children first among them. Stung once, Lisbon chose caution and accepted the cost of empty classrooms, grounded planes and shuttered shops. Reasonable people can debate the balance, but most parents will recognize the instinct to err on the side of safety.

Web Summit Waits, Spain Braces

The storm also cleared the calendar at Web Summit, the Lisbon technology conference attended by about 70,000 people, which called off its Wednesday events ^[2]. Organizers cancelled the conference's third day after the prime minister recommended suspending events and Lisbon's mayor signaled the venue could not operate, The Irish Times reported ^[4]. Chief executive Paddy Cosgrave wrote on the event's Slack channel that the production team "worked through the night until 3am to make the site safe," and organizers told ticket holders the conference would return Thursday, its final day, with many Wednesday sessions moved there ^[4].

Next door, Spain's weather service, AEMET, warned of "serious or very serious" impacts from heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas in the southwest on Wednesday afternoon, Reuters reported ^[3]. In central Spain, more than 3,000 residents of Piedralaves had been evacuated Tuesday over fears a local dam could overflow, and the evacuation remained in place ^[3]. The storm's approach coincided with a general strike in Spain, and organizers cancelled or postponed demonstrations in several southern cities, including Córdoba, Huelva and Cádiz ^[2].

In Portugal, rain was expected to stay intense and spread gradually into the central and northern regions, Euronews reported ^[1]. For now, emergency crews remain on high alert ^[3], and Web Summit's organizers have promised a packed final day ^[4].