Video has shown the devastating impact Storm Claudia has had on Portugal, where tornado-like winds battered the country, local media said.
Footage from a holiday campsite in Albufeira, where an 85-year-old British woman was killed, shows the extent of the damage caused by the extreme winds, which reached up to 114kmph in Portugal’s southern region of the Algarve.
Regional commander of the Algarve, Vitor Vaz Pinto, said dozens of people were injured in the area after Storm Claudia hit, two of whom were seriously injured.
The injured were of Portuguese, Spanish and British nationalities and ranged in age from six to 85 years old.
Follow the latest updates on Storm Claudia
According to media reports, the woman was initially reported missing at a campsite and later found dead.
SIC, which is Sky News’ Portuguese partner network, said an “extreme wind phenomenon” occurred around 10am on Saturday at the holiday site.
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Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the family of the British woman and wished a “speedy recovery” to those who have been injured after the strong winds hit.
Portuguese media described the extreme weather in the Algarve as a tornado.
The storm, which was named by the Spanish meteorological service, affected Portugal and parts of Spain, Britain and Ireland.
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Sky News’ weather presenter Jo Wheeler said the IPMA, or Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, had issued red rain warnings and severe wind warnings “well ahead of the storm’s arrival”.
She said there have been more than 2,434 weather-related incidents reported in the Algarve, including a downburst – a strong downward rush of air from a thunderstorm, causing similar damage to a tornado but linear rather than rotational -at Praia da Carvoeiro, with wind gusts of 114 km/hour.
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Wheeler added that the presence of a tornado in Albufeira was yet to be confirmed, but it would account for the extent of the damage seen.
On Thursday, rescue workers found the bodies of an elderly couple inside their flooded home in Fernao Ferro, across the River Tagus from Lisbon.
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Storm Claudia in the UK
In the UK, Storm Claudia caused severe flooding in the town of Monmouth and surrounding areas in southeastern Wales on Saturday.
Senedd Member Peter Fox described the impact as being “devastating”.
Rescues, evacuations, and welfare checks were being carried out by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the force said.
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“Storm Claudia has caused significant flooding in parts of Wales overnight, which continues to affect homes, businesses, transport and energy infrastructure,” a spokesperson for the Welsh government said.
Natural Resources Wales has issued 11 flood warnings, four of which are severe, as well as 17 flood alerts.
In England, according to the Environment Agency’s latest update, there were 49 active flood warnings and 134 flood alerts.
