The problems at the airport these last 2 days, could well be repeated next week, as Monday Tuesday and Wednesday have strong winds forecast, much stronger than the last days.
Tomorrow the winds will be very slightly weaker, so its possible a day of not to many problems, and Sunday will be a good day to fly, with much calmer winds. But with so many people trying to get to where they need to be, the bigger problems start, with passengers not able to get flights for some days.
Then next week with could see more days with no, or very few flights landing, and the wind direction is not changing much, which could help relax the situation.
The strong winds that have been affecting Madeira and impacting Madeira Airport – Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to lose some intensity throughout Friday and Saturday, creating more “windows of opportunity” for airport operations. This was indicated by Ricardo Tavares, director of the Madeira Meteorological Observatory and delegate of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) in the Region, in statements to JM/FM 88.8.
According to the official, a slight decrease in wind intensity and a shift to the northeast is expected, which could facilitate landings. Even so, the wind will continue to blow strongly, with strong gusts, especially in the eastern and western extremes of Madeira Island. Conditions should improve significantly on Sunday. “We will have a very significant decrease in wind intensity, with light to moderate winds from the north quadrant, clearly a more favorable day,” he explained.
However, the improvement will be temporary. From Monday onwards, conditions are expected to worsen again, with increased wind intensity that could once again cause disruptions, particularly to air operations. The trend suggests that the wind will remain strong until Wednesday, only beginning to decrease from the afternoon of that day. Regarding precipitation, the weekend should be marked by showers, more frequent on the northern slopes and in the highlands of Madeira Island, although they may occur throughout the archipelago.
On Monday, more persistent rainfall is expected, especially during the early morning hours, remaining more intense in the highlands and northern slopes.
Regarding sea conditions, northwest waves of two to three meters are expected on the north coast of Madeira and on the island of Porto Santo throughout Friday and over the weekend. On the south coast, waves are expected to range between one and two meters.
From late Monday afternoon onwards, a new increase in sea swell is expected, with waves that could reach four to five meters on the north coast and in Porto Santo, a situation that should continue until Wednesday. The sea swell should begin to decrease again from the afternoon of that day.
Given this scenario, Ricardo Tavares admits that a weather warning for strong sea swells could be issued on the north coast of Madeira and on the island of Porto Santo between Monday and Wednesday, should the forecasts hold true.