LISBON (Reuters) -Cyclone Gabrielle hit Portugal’s mid-Atlantic Azores Islands on Friday with less intense winds and rains than expected, but still toppled trees and collapsed roofs, authorities said.
The meteorological agency IPMA had placed the islands on red alert for a weather event carrying extreme risk.
The Azores’ regional environment secretary, Alonso Miguel, said restrictions including a closure of schools and public services and a ban on coastal activities remained in place for now.
“Fortunately, there are no injuries to report; most incidents are related to falling trees, infrastructure damage, and roof collapses,” he told reporters.
He said the wind and rain were expected to ease as the storm, which crossed seven of the Azores’ nine islands, moved east.
The archipelago lies about 1,500 km (930 miles) west of the Portuguese mainland and is home to nearly 250,000 people.
Miguel said the maximum wind gust at ground level had been 154 kph (96 mph), below the predicted maximum of 200 kph (125 mph).
Maximum sea swells were also well below the 18 metres (59 feet) forecast by the IPMA, he said.
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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