According to data from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), Porto Moniz recorded the highest hourly rainfall of the early morning, with 21.5 liters per square meter (mm) between 02:51 and 03:50, an amount corresponding to an orange warning. The rain was most intense in the first half hour, reaching 15.2 mm in 30 minutes, a value corresponding to a yellow warning for one hour.
In Chão do Areeiro, the extreme rainfall was 10.9 mm/1h (between 03:21 and 04:20), equivalent to a yellow warning. Although it rained in practically the entire network of IPMA meteorological stations in the Madeira archipelago – with the exception of Selvagem Grande – the most significant values were concentrated on the north coast and in the higher altitude areas.
As of 9 am. this Wednesday, Pico do Areeiro had the highest accumulated rainfall in the last 24 hours, exceeding 60 mm, followed by Chão do Areeiro, with more than 50 mm.
The heavy rain coincided with the orange warning period for precipitation in the mountainous regions and on the south coast of the island, which ended during the morning (9 am).
During the early morning hours, the wind blew with greater intensity in the extreme and mountainous areas, with gusts up to 96 km/h in Caniçal/Ponta de São Lourenço and 90 km/h in Chão do Areeiro. In Santa Cruz/Airport, gusts reached 74 km/h, but the wind direction aligned with the runway prevented disruptions to air operations. Gusts of 81 km/h were also recorded in Selvagem Grande and 73 km/h in Ponta do Sol/Lugar de Baixo, within the parameters of the weather warnings.
The night was also the coldest since last spring in Funchal, with lows of 17.4 ºC at the Observatory and 17.2 ºC at the Lido.