Portugal Flooded: 3,000 Evacuated Amid Dam Risk

Heavy rains continue to inundate rural areas in northern Portugal, placing levees around the historic city of Coimbra under significant threat. Approximately 3,000 residents were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a precautionary measure against the River Mondego breaching its banks. The situation is expected to worsen, with officials warning of potential overflow from the Aguieira dam, which could compromise levees and cause further flooding.

This latest round of severe weather follows a series of deadly storms that have battered central and southern Portugal since late January. These earlier events resulted in at least 15 fatalities, widespread power outages, and damage to homes. The current downpours are intensified by an "atmospheric river," a weather system carrying substantial moisture from the tropics, predominantly impacting the northern regions.