[ad_1]
LISBON (Reuters) – At least 300,000 homes are without power Sunday after Tropical Storm Leslie hit the Atlantic coast of Portugal, causing heavy rains, strong winds and strong seas.
Tree branches are seen on a street in the Benfica neighborhood as Hurricane Leslie travels to Lisbon, Portugal on October 14, 2018. REUTERS / Rafael Marchante
Leslie was demoted after a hurricane before arriving in Portugal late Saturday. The authorities urged people to stay inside and to move away from coastal areas.
At least 1,000 trees have been uprooted, mainly in the coastal towns of northern Lisbon, where the storm first fell, striking power lines and blocking roads.
The A1 main highway, which crosses Portugal, was temporarily blocked by a fallen tree, authorities said.
More than 300,000 households lost their electricity as a result of the storm, said Belo Costa, commander of the Civil Protection Agency.
The storm, with winds up to 100 km / h (60 mph), was most intense during the night. On Sunday morning, strong winds and heavy rains had generally decreased.
In Spain, winds up to 100 km / h uprooted trees in the center of the country early Sunday morning. Emergency services issued flood warnings in the north and northwest of the country Sunday afternoon and in the evening, advising Spaniards to avoid driving under the storm.
Earlier this week, 12 people were killed in flash floods on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.
Reporting by Axel Bugge; Additional report by Sam Edwards in Barcelona; Edited by Raissa Kasolowsky and Mark Potter
