Storm Charles hits Portugal with less intensity than expected, and heads towards France

The weather promises to be particularly rough on Thursday, November 12, in France. Storm Charles, coming up from the Iberian Peninsula, will cause a new Mediterranean episode in the southern half of the country, from New Aquitaine to the Alps, according to Météo-France.

The rains should be stormy over a southeastern quarter, said the forecasting institute. Furthermore, the wind strengthens, from the night of Wednesday to Thursday, in the Pyrenees "where the southern gusts" will reach "100 km/h at altitude". The south then west wind will "often reach 60 to 80 km/h in peaks, even 90 km/h" locally. Temperatures will be significantly lower throughout mainland France, except near the Mediterranean.

Storm Charles hit Portugal on Wednesday with less violent winds than expected. The center and south of the country nevertheless remain on red alert due to expected heavy rains, as well as part of neighboring Spain.

After passing off the island of Madeira, where it caused some damage but no victims, "the depression even split into two cores a little weaker than initially expected and, therefore, in terms of wind, the situation will be less serious than anticipated", explained Wednesday morning the meteorologist of the national weather agency (IPMA) Jorge Pontes on public television RTP.