Portugal’s latest wave of flooding has become the continuation of a relentless storm sequence that has battered the country’s central and southern regions since late January.

The severe weather has repeatedly torn roofs from buildings, inundated towns and cities, and left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity for days at a time, as emergency services struggled to keep up with the scale of damage.

As the Mondego River rose sharply, local authorities ordered the preventive evacuation of around 3,000 residents living in areas considered at highest risk. Police carried out door-to-door checks and transported people to temporary shelters, as officials moved to prevent casualties in case water levels surged further.

Carlos Tavares, a representative of the regional civil protection service, warned that the Aguieira dam, located roughly 35 kilometres northeast of Coimbra, could reach capacity. If that happens, he said, the pressure could overwhelm protective embankments and trigger additional flooding downstream.

Portugal’s Environment Agency (APA) added that the Mondego basin is expected to enter an “exceptional period of peak flows” through Saturday, increasing the likelihood of further inundation and forcing authorities to remain on high alert.