Tornado strikes Algarve

On Sunday afternoon a small tornado hit land between Faro and Olhão. No serious injuries but it caused a lot of minor damage – https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/tornado-atinge-algarve-com-derrube-de-arvores-e-cortes-de-eletricidade_v1061732

click these video clips to see footage from inside and outside the Forum Algarve Shopping centre at Faro :-

http://observador.pt/2018/03/04/tornado-no-algarve-lojas-destruidas-muro-de-estadio-cai-em-cima-de-carros-locais-sem-eletricidade/

A travellers community of about 100 people had their camp destroyed. Elsewhere high winds and very high tides caused a lot of damage in coastal areas including Praia da Rocha and Olhos De Água

We don’t get the weather we used to!

Among the chaos being caused by the very cold weather across much of the UK, not to mention the wet and windy weather that has been battering Portugal, I post this pictures taken at the railway station of my former home town, Tonbridge, in the early 1908’s as I recall.

Note the diesel locomotive pulling an electric train. We were snowed in for days. Staff couldn’t get to the depots or stations, I could barely get out of my front door which was 200 yards from where I stood, camera in hand. Don’t get the weather we used to.

It rained!

Last night (November 2nd) we had the first noticeable rain here since the middle of May. There were two or three heavy showers, including one just when I was about to go out of the door to meet some people in town. The local weather bureau reported that October 2017 was the hottest and driest October since modern records began 87 years ago. There was barely a day when it didn’t hit 30ºc (86F) which pleased the record numbers of tourists but not us who live here, watching almost everything green going brown and dying.

We still need a lot more rain through the winter to avert possible water supply problems next year. We did have a couple of short showers here earlier and a fairly evil looking cloud passed by to the south on its way to rain on people to the east of Albufeira.

Summer in England, well almost!

I am staying this week with friends in Eastbourne (East Sussex, south coast of England) while travelling to and from the London suburb of Beckenham to watch Kent cricket.

Monday in Beckenham

It didn’t actually rain though, but it was rather dark.

The weather until today has been cloudy and windy, but today the sun was out, temperature reached 27ºC, which was apparently a little hotter than Albufeira where I live.

It’s not expected to last long. Rain is coming for tomorrow morning, which may disrupt the tennis at Wimbledon also.

I will have a few more pictures at the weekend.

Very wet and windy Albufeira

Friday and especially Saturday were very wet and windy here. This is the local football pitch at half time on Saturday afternoon. Imortal Albufeira v Messinense, Algarve League Division One.

Albufeira Municipal stadium half time Saturday 11th February

Yes, half time. The football authorities here care not at all concerned about the welfare of players nor that fact the people pay to watch in such conditions.

The only good thing about the afternoon was that we won 1-0. A token crowd of about 50 fans huddled in the deepest recesses of the main stand to escape the driving rain which fell almost constantly until just before the end of the game.

Extreme weather elsewhere!

In contrast to the fairly decent weather here in the Algarve, I have been sent these two pictures!

Tanvald, Czech Republic

Tanvald, Czech Republic 1st February

Algorfa (Near Alicante) Spain, brown floodwater pouring through orchards.

Albufeira flooded 1st November 2015

Albufeira flooded 1st November 2015

Those who know the geography are aware that the old town area of Albufeira is surrounded by steep hills. Until about 60 years ago a river ran through what is now the popular tourist area of the old town. When it rains like it did yesterday, the river regains its natural course rather than flow through the tunnel under the town.

Pictures from the old town area of Albufeira Sunday afternoon 1st November.

http://www.albufeira.com/forum/albufeira-flood-november-2015_topic9190.html

This one was taken a couple of hours before the flood reached its height.

Police and firemen on the way to rescue a person trapped in a building.