Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 28, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 28, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleStorm Kristin disrupted power for 800,000 in Portugal, causing damage and travel issues before moving into Spain, where severe weather persists.
LISBON/MADRID, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Storm Kristin killed at least three people and left over 800,000 residents of central and northern Portugal without electricity on Wednesday, as it toppled trees, damaged homes, and disrupted road and rail traffic before moving inland to Spain.
One person died when a tree fell on their car in Vila Franca de Xira, on the outskirts of Lisbon, according to emergency services. Two more were killed in the central district of Leiria - one of the most affected areas - according to the local council.
Civil protection authorities reported more than 3,000 weather-related incidents, triggered by wind gusts of up to 150 km/h (93 mph), heavy rain and snowfall in the country of nearly 11 million people.
Grid operator E-Redes said technical teams were working to reestablish power supplies to some half a million customers in the afternoon, while earlier as many as 855,000 had been left without electricity.
After sweeping through Portugal, the storm then pushed east into Spain, which is still recovering from a previous system, Storm Joseph. In the coastal town of Torremolinos, strong winds felled a palm tree on Tuesday, killing a woman.
More than 160 roads across Spain were affected by snow early on Wednesday. That included 27 motorways on the main highway network, among them the A-6 linking Madrid with the northwest. Snow also blanketed rooftops in parts of central Madrid but caused no major disruptions.
Spain's national weather agency, AEMET, warned that large areas of the country would face very strong winds, with some gusts reaching hurricane force. Authorities issued a red alert in parts of southern Almeria province due to the intensity of the winds.
Local authorities closed parks, and in some areas outdoor sports and educational activities were suspended.
(Reporting by Andrei Khalip, Emma Pinedo and David Latona; Editing by Ros Russell and Joe Bavier)
The main topic is the impact of Storm Kristin on Portugal and Spain, including power outages and weather disruptions.
In Portugal, Storm Kristin left 800,000 without power, caused a fatality, and led to numerous weather-related incidents.
Spain faced travel disruptions due to snow and strong winds, with authorities issuing red alerts and closing parks.
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