We're all used to weather warnings: yellow, orange, and red. These warnings, and never alerts, can only be issued by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera).Even if your cousin is an excellent amateur meteorologist.) These warnings meet a number of criteria. Let's go!
Criteria?
Yes, so that we can all speak the same language, that is, that all entities that collaborate in some way with IPMA, can understand how and why the warning is yellow and not red. The same is true for all of us, and all this depends on scales used to check the level of danger that will fix the warning in yellow, orange or red, and green is the absence of any warning, that is, the absence of any weather situation that puts at risk, people and goods.
We use some hashtags like #AiQueFrio or #AiQueCalor, and you may have seen the hashtag #FMA_NameDePerson, that we use for when a storm is named, where FMA, is the acronym for Adverse Weather Phenomenon.
Why are warnings issued?
The Meteorological Warnings are launched by IPMA, when it is perceived that a meteorological situation, can generate risk, and cause damage and / or damage, being dependent on its intensity.
Thus, as the first weather warning on a scale of three, we have the #WarningYellow This means that there is a risk situation for certain activities depending on the weather situation, therefore it is necessary to monitor the evolution of weather conditions.
As a second warning, the #WarningOrange means that there is a moderate to high-risk meteorological situation. Everyone is asked to keep abreast of the evolution of weather conditions, and to follow the recommendations of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC), They usually issue a warning to the public.
At the third level of warning, we have the #WarningRed this means that there is a weather situation of extreme risk, or the equivalent of the sky falling on the head of the Gauls. The magic potion in these situations is to follow to the letter all the instructions of the competent authorities!
But the question remains! “This is all very beautiful, but yellow, red, and orange, they don’t tell me anything about what is really going to happen in terms of time, do they?” I’m glad they ask that, because we’ll go on to explain.
Weather Parameters
For each type of warning there are parameters defined by IPMA, for each weather situation, which determine what type of warning is issued. These parameters are specific to our country, and other countries have different parameters (it also confuses us).
Wind
For #Wind the IPMA criteria, are determined by the maximum expected wind gust in km/h:
#WarningYellow: 70 to 90 km/h
#WarningOrange: 91 to 130 km/h
#WarningRed: more than 130 km/h
In the highlands the ranges are 90 to 110 km/h, 111 to 130 km/h, and more than 130 km/h, respectively.
RAIN
With regard to #Rain IPMA criteria are defined by how many millimetres per hour it is expected to rain.
#WarningYellow: 10 to 20 mm/h
#WarningOrange: 21 to 40 mm/h
#WarningRed: more than 40mm/h
Note: 1 mm = 1 litre /m2 = 1 kg water / m2 (approximately).
But with regard to #Rain we don't stop here. The IPMA It also issues warnings if within 6 hours it rains the following amounts:
#WarningYellow: 30 to 40 mm/6h
#WarningOrange: 41 to 60 mm/6h
#WarningRed: more than 60 mm/6h
We are talking about rain!
NEVE
Warnings about #Snow are measured in centimetres of accumulated snow, and by the geographical height of the affected region, below 1000 meters in height:
#WarningYellow: 1 to 5 cm
#WarningOrange: 6 to 15 cm
#WarningRed: above 15 cm
Enter 1000 and 1600 meters high:
#WarningYellow: 1 to 10 cm
#WarningOrange: 11 to 30 cm
#WarningRed: over 30 cm
Above 1600 meters high:
#WarningYellow: 1 to 25 cm
#WarningOrange: 26 to 50 cm
#WarningRed: above 50 cm
TROVOADA
With regard to #Thunderstorm the criteria for issuing a warning are simple to understand:
#WarningYellow: frequent and scattered.
#WarningOrange: frequent and concentrated.
#WarningRed: Very common and overly concentrated
NEVOEIRO
Maybe they don't know but the warnings to #Fog have as a criterion the duration of this meteorological phenomenon and the parameter used is the visibility:
#WarningYellow: Duration less than or equal to 48h
#WarningOrange: Between 48h and 72h of duration
#WarningRed: Over 96 hours of duration
#AiQueCalor & #AiQueFrio
About the warnings of #AiQueCalor e #AiQueFrio warnings are issued following a duration criterion. This means that the warning is only issued if a certain temperature is maintained more than 48 hours, and varies by district, and should follow, in the case of cold or heat situation, the guidelines of the General Directorate of Health (Direcção Geral de Saúde).DGS).
As you can see in the table, this is why it is sometimes the same average temperature – for example 33oC – in the district of #Guard and in the district of #Beja, but only a #Guard will be under #WarningYellow. On #Beja it is still ‘fresh’. ?
MARITIME Agitation
With regard to #Maritime Agitation. The criterion here is the height of the waves and these are the parameters:
West Coast:
#WarningYellow: 4 to 5 meters
#WarningOrange: 5 to 7 meters
#WarningRed: > 7 metres
the South Coast: 2m to 3m, 3m to 5m, and greater than 5m with southeast ripple, respectively.
“High and stop the dance!!!” you exclaim! ‘But this means that the Nazareth cannon should be almost always #WarningRed!” If the warnings were issued at county level, most likely yes, but Nazaré is very special. ?
AZORES & WOOD
Finally, the parameters for the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores are also different from those used for the mainland as you can see in the images.
#AZORES
#WOOD
We hope that this thread has served to better understand what each warning means, with what criteria are issued the same, and what you can expect when you read that your district is with a certain warning due to #Rain, #AiQueCalor, or others. Doubts? Just ask!
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