Citizens are urged to move away from coastal areas
In Portugal, most of the country was sounded a red alert in anticipation of Cyclone Leslie, which may be the strongest cyclone to hit the country since 1842, before continuing on to neighboring Spain.
The Portuguese Civil Protection Authority has advised citizens to move away from coastal areas and stay in their homes, stating that Saturday night to Sunday will be the most critical time in the course of the weather.
Meteorologists expect stormy winds and rain to sweep the Lisbon area from 18.00 local time (20.00 Greek time). Then "its power will decrease and it will move at speeds of 60km / h towards the northwestern part" points out the meteorological institute of Portugal.
According to meteorologists, Cyclone Leslie will be the strongest to hit Portugal since 1842 and only five cyclones have been recorded in this part of the Atlantic Ocean.
For its part, the Spanish meteorological service Aemet today issued a bulletin warning that the cyclone will arrive in Spain in the early hours of Sunday, possibly causing gusts of 100km / h in the western part of the country.