January 2026 very wet: the 2nd wettest since 2000

Air temperature

• January 2025 was classified as warm in terms of temperature.
• The average air temperature, 9.19 °C, was +0.15 °C above the 1991–2020 normal (the warmest January was in 1995, with 11.28°C).
• The average maximum air temperature, 12.71 °C, was -0.64 °C below the normal value (the lowest value was in 1945, with 9.87 °C).
• The average minimum air temperature, 5.66 °C, was +0.93 °C above normal (the highest was in 1955, with 8.55 °C).

Rainfall

• Total rainfall was well above normal, corresponding to around 222% of the 1991–2020 average (105.0 mm). The month was classified as very wet, making it the 2nd wettest since 2000 (the wettest was in 2001).
• The 2025/2026 hydrological year is, so far, the 2nd wettest since 2000, with a cumulative total of 681.0 mm for the period from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026, corresponding to twice the average hydrological year total.
• The previous value is higher than that recorded in 2024/25 and lower than the wettest hydrological year of the last 25 years (2000/01 – 797.1 mm).
• All stations analysed exceeded the monthly average value; at 78% of stations, the total was equal to or greater than twice the average value; and at 40% of stations, the total was 2.5 to 3.5 times the average.

Soil moisture

All municipalities show soil water values above field capacity (>100%), with municipalities in the northern interior, the Central region and the southern coastal area very close to total soil saturation.

To follow the daily monitoring of this indicator, please consult the evolution of agroclimatic indicators.

These regions are at particular risk of flooding in the event of significant rainfall, since saturated or oversaturated soils combined with excess precipitation lead to runoff into adjacent streams and rivers, which may rise suddenly.

Storm Kristin

The passage of Storm Kristin produced wind gusts exceeding 130 km/h in the districts of Coimbra, Leiria and Castelo Branco. Within the IPMA station network, the highest gust was recorded at the Leiria meteorological station, reaching 156.2 km/h on the 28th, at 05:20 UTC.

It should be noted, however, that data from some automatic weather stations that stopped transmitting during the severe weather episode are still being verified. It is also worth highlighting that, among various automatic weather stations outside the IPMA network that record gust parameters, the highest value was registered at the Monte Real Air Base station, reaching 175.9 km/h, also on the 28th of January 2026.

Monthly summary

You can check the climate monthly summary for january 2025 in mainland Portugal here:preliminary summary - January 2026 (portuguese version only)

Flooding in Sorraia river, close to Coruche town (Santarém, Portugal). Picture credit: Carlos Pereira