Latest news and stories about severe weather in Leiria, Portugal for expats and residents.
Municipalities affected by recent severe weather have requested that the government extend economic and employment support measures for an additional 60 days. A formal request has been sent to the Minister of Finance to keep these protections in place until the end of June.
Insurance companies have paid out over 303 million euros in compensation for damages caused by severe storms that struck Portugal between January 27 and February 13. The Portuguese Association of Insurers (Associação Portuguesa de Seguradores or APS) estimates that total insurable losses could eventually exceed one billion euros. In Leiria alone, residents and businesses have filed nearly 37,000 claims for property damage.
The Portuguese Insurance Association (Associação Portuguesa de Seguradores) is the industry trade body that represents insurers in Portugal, collects sector data and speaks with government and the media after major events. On 14 February 2026 it reported more than 100,000 claims from recent bad weather (about half reported in the previous week); policyholders should contact their insurer promptly and check their cover and claims process.
The Intermunicipal Community of the Leiria Region (Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Leiria or CIMRL) says that promised government support for storm damage has yet to arrive. The region suffered significant destruction from storms Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta nearly two months ago, affecting infrastructure and drainage networks. Local leaders are calling for higher support rates and faster access to funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência or PRR). Residents in the Leiria area should be aware of ongoing efforts to secure funding for local repairs.
The PRR (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência) is Portugal's national program under the EU's NextGenerationEU recovery fund, worth approximately €22.2 billion — roughly €16.6 billion in grants plus €5.6 billion in loans. Approved in 2021, it funds reforms and investments across housing, digital transition, climate action, healthcare, and public administration.
Payments from the European Commission are tied to specific milestones and targets. Missed deadlines or incomplete reforms can delay disbursements, affecting public works, infrastructure projects, and social programs that depend on PRR funding.
The PRR is one of the largest investment programs in Portugal's recent history and touches areas from affordable housing construction to hospital modernization, school renovation, and green energy transition. Progress is monitored by the European Commission through regular reviews.
More than two weeks after Storm Kristin, parts of the Leiria region remain without power and recovery may take weeks or months, RTP reports. E-Redes and foreign teams, including technicians from Ireland, have been assisting local crews to restore supply; bad weather has slowed repairs in some areas. Residents still without electricity should follow municipal and E-Redes updates and plan for extended outages where repairs continue.
Update: Irish crews assisting; recovery may take months
RTP adds that recovery timelines remain long — potentially weeks or months — and that foreign technicians, including teams from Ireland who travelled long distances to help, continue to support E-Redes while bad weather hampers repairs.
E-Redes (formerly EDP Distribuição) is the company that operates Portugal's low- and medium-voltage electricity distribution network, serving over 99% of mainland Portugal. It is a subsidiary of EDP (Energias de Portugal), the country's largest energy utility.
E-Redes is responsible for maintaining power lines, substations, and transformers; connecting new customers and solar panels to the grid; reading meters; and restoring power after outages. It operates under a concession granted by the Portuguese government and is regulated by ERSE (Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos).
During storms and extreme weather, E-Redes coordinates emergency repair crews to restore electricity supply. Residents can report outages and check restoration timelines through the E-Redes website or app. The company is also central to Portugal's energy transition, managing the integration of growing rooftop solar and electric vehicle charging into the distribution grid.
Storm Kristin was a named Atlantic storm that struck Portugal in late 2024, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds (gusts exceeding 100 km/h in some areas), and significant coastal wave action. The storm caused widespread flooding, roof collapses, fallen trees, and power outages across several districts.
IPMA issued orange and red warnings for affected regions, and ANEPC activated emergency response plans. The impact was particularly severe in flood-prone areas of the Lisbon metropolitan area and the Tagus and Mondego river basins, where drainage systems were overwhelmed.
Storm Kristin highlighted recurring vulnerabilities in Portugal's infrastructure during extreme weather events — including urban drainage capacity, riverbank management, and the need for updated emergency response coordination. Residents in storm-affected areas were advised to follow civil protection guidance, avoid coastal zones and riverbanks, and report damage through municipal services.
CCDRC president Ribau Esteves denies claims of delays in post-Storm Kristin reconstruction efforts, citing a commitment to rigorous quality standards despite acknowledging resource constraints.
The Portuguese government has launched the Integrated Prevention and Operations Command (CIPO) in Leiria to proactively mitigate rural fire risks by clearing debris and improving access following storm damage, as officials warn of a challenging summer ahead.
The Portuguese government is implementing a new, resilient construction model for school reconstruction, designed to withstand cyclonic winds of up to 200 km/h, earthquakes, and fires, as part of a 1.55 billion euro investment plan.
Six weeks after Storm Kristin, students in Vieira de Leiria continue to face significant educational disruptions, with classes held in makeshift locations including containers and a former mortuary chapel due to ongoing infrastructure repairs.
Municipal leaders have pushed back against Minister Castro Almeida's accusations that local councils are responsible for delays in housing reconstruction support, arguing that the government failed to provide necessary resources and shifted the administrative burden onto them without consultation.
Gonçalo Lopes, the mayor of Leiria, discussed the extensive damage caused by Storm Kristin in a recent interview with CNN Portugal, highlighting the municipality's emergency response and recovery efforts over the past ten days.
João Guarda, a resident of Leiria, is facing severe flooding for the second time this week. He has resorted to using a log in an attempt to manage the rising water levels around his home, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by extreme weather conditions in the area.
Leiria, Marinha Grande, and Ourém were among the municipalities most affected by the storms.
Companies, municipalities, citizens, the entire mainland and even the islands, areas with damage caused by the 'train of storms' and others that have nothing to do with the calamitous weather situation that began on January 28 with the low-pressure system Kristin. There is even a promise to enrich academia with the creation of the University of Leiria.
In the centre of the country, there are still businesses closed and others with production hindered due to the damage caused by Storm Kristin.
It was three months ago that the low-pressure system Kristin radically changed the life and landscape of the Leiria district. Cables on the ground and fallen trees are still visible along the streets.
On the sidelines of a debate regarding the consequences of Storm Kristin, the executive secretary of the Leiria Intermunicipal Community lamented that the country lacks a rapid response capacity.
This is the case for the president of the Monte Real and Carvide parish, who indicates that recovery is proceeding slowly and with delays in the arrival of support. The situation is similar in Marinha Grande.
Three months after the storms that shook the coast and the centre of the country, the mayor of Marinha Grande provides an update on the redevelopment and cleanup work in the municipality.
Cláudia Valente de Oliveira, a journalist for CNN Portugal, assesses the state of the territories in the Leiria district affected by the bad weather three months ago.
Leiria, the municipality with the most damage caused by the storm Kristin, is currently analysing around 11,000 compensation claims for damage to homes, but Mayor Gonçalo Lopes considers meeting the government's deadline for finalising the processes, which ends on..., to be “one of the most critical points”.
On the day marking three months since the devastating storm Kristin and as the Government presents the recovery plan designated PTRR, the president of the Intermunicipal Community (CIM) of the Leiria Region, in an interview with ECO/Local Online, recalls that this mechanism was created in the aftermath of this storm. Therefore, and despite considering that...
The storm affected Portugal three months ago. Mayors continue to warn about delays in the delivery of support. Also, the report on the blackout, which marks one year today, and King Charles III's visit to the USA.
Animal feed company in Leiria has 70% of its facilities damaged and expects it will take a year to recover losses
Three months after the storms that devastated the centre of the country, the ICNF - Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests has identified the three forests most affected by the severe weather: the Ravasco forest in Leiria, the Casal da Lebre forest, and the Leirinha National Forest in Marinha Grande.
Three months after the storms that devastated the centre of the country, the ICNF - Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests has identified the three forests most affected by the severe weather: the Ravasco forest in Leiria, the Casal da Lebre forest, and the Leirinha National Forest in Marinha Grande.
An update on the situation at Praia da Vieira three months following the storm.
The fury of the wind destroyed roofs, windows, and outdoor seating areas
Two local officials expressed concern over elderly residents being unable to call for help in emergencies due to delays in restoring landline communications following bad weather.
The coordinator of the Central Region Reconstruction Task Force stated that fixed-line services, disrupted by the recent storm Kristin, should be fully restored by summer. While approximately 20,000 customers remain without service, particularly in rural areas of Leiria, authorities are working to expedite repairs and provide mobile alternatives for vulnerable individuals. The National Communications Authority confirmed that mobile networks are fully operational and capable of handling emergency calls.
The coordinator of the Reconstruction Mission Structure for the country's Central Region told the Lusa agency that the full restoration of fixed communication services, affected by the bad weather, may occur by summer.
The intermunicipal communities (CIM) of the Leiria Region, Coimbra Region, and Médio Tejo have asked the Government to extend the support measures launched to compensate for the damage caused by the low-pressure system Kristin.
More than three thousand kilometres of forest paths affected by bad weather, a third of which are in the Leiria region, were cleared by the 15th, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) revealed. According to data sent to the Lusa agency, of the 3,067 kilometres of forest road network cleared by that date, 1,058 are in the Leiria region, which was the most affected by the low-pressure system Kristin on 28 January. The ICNF stated that in the national forests of Leiria and Casal da Lebre, all paved forest paths are cleared, totalling 23.7 km. At least 19 people have died in Portugal since 28 January following the passage of the low-pressure systems Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta, which also caused hundreds of injuries and displacements.
The Leiria National Forest, known as the Leiria Pine Forest or the King's Pine Forest, occupies two-thirds of the Marinha Grande municipality and covers 11,021 hectares.
