Storm Charles broke Portugal's absolute national 24-hour rainfall record, with 502.7 millimetres of rain measured at Chão do Areeiro in Madeira, the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera or IPMA) announced. Wind gusts on the island reached 136 km/h, and rainfall between November 1 and 11 reached up to three times the typical monthly average.
Across mainland Portugal, the storm prompted the government to declare an alert status that closed schools and non-essential public services. Business confederations reported severe revenue drops in retail, transport, and catering during the national shutdown, estimating that business disruption costs exceeded direct physical damage, while IPMA maintained that computer models had shown shifting trajectory probabilities shortly before the alert took effect.
