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The regions around the capital Lisbon and the center of the country, in Coimbra and Leiria, were the most affected by uprooted trees, damaged cars and homes, and reported local floods.
Violent storms hit Portugal early Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity before heavy rain rushed to Spain, authorities said.
Leslie, a category 1 hurricane but weakened by a post-tropical storm after touching down at the end of Saturday, left 28 people slightly injured, Civil Defense Commander Luis Belo Costa told reporters.
The regions around the capital, Lisbon, and the center of the country, in Coimbra and Leiria, were the most affected by uprooted trees, damaged cars and homes, and reported local floods.
The cities of Aveiro, Viseu and Porto, in the north of the country, were also damaged. Relief services reported 2,500 incidents.
Civil defense officials said 324,000 people had no electricity, while more than 60 people had to leave their damaged homes and seek safety.
The current was re-established in the north and center of the country during the morning.
Leslie was nicknamed a hurricane "zombie" during his training on September 23 before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for weeks before touching the mainland.
It was feared to be the worst storm in the region for more than 150 years, but it has weakened to become a post-tropical storm before reaching the Portuguese coast.
Leslie is crushed against houses in the seaside resort of Figueira da Foz, near Coimbra
"The biggest danger has passed," said Costa. "The north and the center were the most affected."
More than two dozen flights have been canceled to or from Lisbon.
In Mealhada, in the Aveiro district, the roof of an indoor sports venue was destroyed, ending the European final of the women's roller skating competition.
The Portuguese authorities have urged residents to close the hatches and stay indoors, while ordering the fishermen at sea to return to the nearest port.
The seaside resort of Figueira da Foz, near Coimbra, experienced a gust of 176 km / h, announced the French channel La Chaine.
"I have never seen anything like it," said a witness on CIS television.
"The city seemed to be in a state of war with cars crushed by fallen trees," he said. "People were very worried."
Hurricane Leslie has weakened into a post-tropical storm before reaching the Portuguese coast in the early hours of Sunday
Only five hurricanes arrived in this area of the Atlantic Ocean and it was feared that Leslie will prove to be the most powerful storm that has hit Portugal since 1842.
Over the past 176 years, only Hurricane Vince made landfall in the Iberian Peninsula, hitting southern Spain in 2005, depending on weather conditions.
In October 2017, strong winds from the passage of Hurricane Ophelia caused forest fires that killed about 40 people during a heat wave.
Ophelia then landed in Ireland in the form of a violent storm, killing three people.
On Tuesday, heavy rains caused flash floods on the island of Mallorca, Spain, killing 12 people.
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NASA continues Hurricane Leslie heading south to Spain, Portugal
