Predicting weather is one of the most difficult tasks.  Weather has often been described as fickle, cruel and mysterious. Although the Algarve enjoys nearly 300 days of sun, during the winter months, we may see significant rainfall.

The enjoyment of our outdoor activities can be greatly affected by rain.  Although a light drizzle may not dampen spirits to the extent it becomes unpleasant, heavy rain is another matter. And, as we know, thunderstorms can be dangerous.

Weather radar for Portugal can be found on the web at: https://www.ipma.pt/pt/otempo/obs.radar/  This will show the current rainfall at the time indicated.

To predict what will happen over the next few hours, you can use the video playback buttons on the upper right of the image.  As the video plays, you will see the path and speed of the rain clouds. You can pause the video at any time to note the position and time of the current image.  The double arrow buttons will advance or rewind the image in 10 minute intervals.  It is even possible to calculate the speed of an incoming cloud by measuring the distance travelled.

Weather systems often form multiple bands of rain.  Radar will help to predict the duration of the rain and the colour of the image will help to predict the intensity of the rain. Even if a forecast shows rain for a long period, there are often windows between bands of rain that will allow some dry outdoor activity.

Using rainfall radar with local forecasts adds to the ability to predict when the wet weather will hit. 

References:

The weather radar station for the Algarve was updated in January 2024:  https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2024-01-08/new-high-tech-algarve-weather-station/84883

IPMA Radar network:  https://www.ipma.pt/en/enciclopedia/otempo/observacao.remota/index.html?page=radar.xml

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