BARCELONA (Reuters) - Hurricane Leslie is expected to hit the Iberian Peninsula within hours, authorities said on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains days after deadly floods on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The storm will most likely hit land around the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, before moving across the peninsula, bringing winds of up to 100 km/h (60 mph), Spain’s state weather service said. Earlier this week, 12 people died in the flooding on Mallorca in the Mediterranean. Currently a Category 1 hurricane, Leslie is expected to weaken slightly as it moves east on Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said. As of Saturday afternoon, Leslie was about 200 miles (320 km) west of Lisbon, the NHC said, adding that it is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone and dissipate by Sunday night or Monday. Spanish emergency services warned of the possibility of flash floods and urged to motorists to be vigilant in case of strong winds. Separate storm fronts in the north and east of Spain mean heavy rain is expected across much of the country on Sunday. Heavy rain hit Mallorca on Tuesday, sending torrents of brown water along narrow streets in the town of Sant Llorenc. Rivers burst their banks and swamped homes, leaving roadsides strewn with wrecked vehicles and beaches covered in debris.<doc-sep>Storm Leslie: Chart shows HEAVY rainfall across the Atlantic top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The hurricane has been labelled a “zombie” because it has been meandering a huge stretch of the sea since forming on September 23, but that all could change in time for Halloween. Leslie has stayed between 30 and 65 degrees west longitude - so far well away from any land or inland seas - surviving on warm waters and moisture over the middle of the Atlantic. The latest tropical storm has been moved around by weather systems over the Atlantic Ocean but there hasn’t been a system strong enough to push the storm towards land. But a non-tropical feature is now forecast to drag Hurricane Leslie in that direction, enabling it to break free from the central Atlantic region. AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys said: "The strong front moving through the United Kingdom could pull Leslie towards Europe by early next week.” As Hurricane Leslie approaches, the weather forecaster warned waves will build in size and strength, firstly around the Canary Islands, Azores and the Island of Madeira. Leslie is coming into contact with some wind shear, which could drop it down to a tropical storm category on Saturday as it pushes just north of Madeira, but heavy wind and rain are still forecast across Madeira. Heavy rain building to two inches and wind are also expected to smash into southern Portugal as early as Saturday evening. Hurricane Leslie: The tropical storm is heading towards Spain and Portugal Cities likely to be heavily impacted by the extreme weather range from Lisbon to Lagos and Faro in Portugal, to Huelva and Seville in Spain to the Strait of Gibraltar. Boys added: "Wind gusts of 65 to 80 km/h (40-50 mph) are possible across southern Portugal and southwestern Spain, especially near the coasts.” AccuWeather said there is a small chance Leslie could drift back southwards towards the Canary Islands and western Africa coast. But the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has played down fears of Hurricane Leslie making severe contact with the Canary Islands, forecasting it will be “quite far” from them as its effects will only be felt at sea. Hurricane Leslie could reach Spain and Portugal by Sunday evening AEMET has been unable to determine the storm’s exact direction so far, but its latest prediction models estimate it will most likely head towards the north and west of the Canary Islands, but will weaken and have no “significant consequences”. The agency has forecast Hurricane Leslie will turn 180 close to the Canary Islands and begin to move away. But it could trigger large waves around the westernmost islands, with winds building to 45mph on Sunday. But despite its expected minimal impact, Hurricane Leslie could still enter the record books as the longest-living tropical cyclone. Hurricane Leslie will bring heavy rain and high winds<doc-sep>ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON | Michael and Leslie Once in a lifetime weather event hits Spain Find Your Forecast Search for a location Dr. Mario Picazo Meteorologist, PhD Monday, October 15, 2018, 2:27 PM - Based on weather records, this is the first time that remnants of two hurricanes, Leslie and Michael, are bringing strong wind and heavy rain to Spain at the same time. Neighbouring Portugal was hit hard by Leslie Sunday night when the tropical storm slammed into the northwest coast. Now that the storm has moved across Spain, it is now only experiencing the effects of ex-Michael. Some have called Leslie a "zombie hurricane" because it was been moving in circles around the central Atlantic for almost 3 weeks. It was a Category 1 hurricane as it moved close to the Portugal northwest coast before weakening into a post-tropical cyclone late Sunday. The region north of Lisbon between Coimbra and Leiria where badly hit. Trees were uprooted, cars and houses damaged and local flooding was reported. To the north, Aveiro, Viseu and Porto also suffered significant damage with rescue services reporting over 3,000 calls. The strongest wind gust reported in Portugal was 176.4 km/h at the Figueira da Foz observatory. Hurricane force winds were also reported in Coimbra and Aveiro. After the storm moved inland across northwest Spain, many areas around the country experienced a Sunday marked by gusty winds and local heavy thunderstorms. (RELATED: Photos from post-Michael Florida) Between Sunday and Monday, remnants of Leslie continued to trigger severe thunderstorms over sections of northeast Spain, with the regions of Cataluña and the Balearic Islands seeing the most intense rainfall. While Leslie exits the Iberian Peninsula to the north, remnants of Michael, the devastating Category 4 hurricane that struck the Florida Panhandle just over a week ago, will simultaneously hit the northwest section of Spain and some of northern Portugal on Monday. Only five hurricanes have ever arrived in this region of the Atlantic Ocean, and luckily Leslie was weaker than anticipated before touching land. Otherwise, this would have been the most powerful storm to hit Portugal since 1842. VIDEO: PRESIDENT TRUMP TOURS AREAS HIT BY HURRICANE MICHAEL According to weather records, over the past 176 years, only Hurricane Vince in 2005 made landfall near Cádiz, Spain in the Iberian Peninsula. Last year around this time, it was Ophelia that passed near the Portugal-Spain coast on track to Ireland, feeding forest fires in both countries and killing 40 during a heat wave. (RELATED: Storm Leslie slams Portugal) It's rare to see hurricanes this far north in the Atlantic, and even more when they move east of 20E longitude. But if seeing one is rare, just imagine having the remnants of two of them impacting the Iberian Peninsula on the same day. Despite the ocean surface cooling caused by Leslie's long journey across the central Atlantic, SSTs are well above normal across much of the ocean basin, and that basically means there is plenty of fuel for storms to wonder about across unusual locations.<doc-sep>
Hurricane Leslie has lived a long and unusual life, dancing around the Atlantic as both a tropical storm and hurricane for weeks. The storm is now about to do something even more unusual. Hurricane Leslie, now Post-Tropical Cyclone Leslie, is on a path for a direct hit on Portugal early Sunday. Spain will also get impact from Leslie's strike. Wide areas of Portugal and Spain will get 1 to 3 inches of rain from Leslie while some localized areas could get 5 inches with flooding, according to forecasters. Portugal also faces hurricane force winds and residents have been warned to stay inside. Portugal's weather service has issued "red" warnings for 13 of its 18 mainland districts for late Saturday and Sunday, saying that Leslie's impact will begin at about 6 p.m. Saturday, with landfall likely occurring early Sunday. With the strength of a Category 1 hurricane, Leslie was about 195 miles southwest of Lisbon late Saturday Atlantic Standard Time with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, with hurricane force winds extending for 60 miles. Leslie was threatening to be one of the strongest storms to hit Portugal in years. It's rare for hurricanes formed in the in the U.S.-side Atlantic to hit Europe because cooler water and wind shear typically break them down before they hit land. It is reported having happened just five times since records have been kept, the last being Hurricane Ophelia in 2017. Leslie has had such a long life that the National Hurricane Center issued 70 advisories over its life. The storm powered down from being a hurricane to a powerful post-tropical storm on Saturday, approaching Portugal and Spain. Portugal's National Protection Agency advised residents to "avoid at all costs walking on the street." "The air mass ahead of the cyclone has moistened up in the low levels with Faro, Portugal, reporting a dewpoint of 70F/21C, but the dewpoints across central and northern Portugal ahead of Leslie are only in the low-60F range, which is not indicative of a tropical air mass," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said late Saturday afternoon AST. "Thus, the cyclone is now a powerful post-tropical low-pressure system that even has a partial eye noted in the most recent 2000Z Portuguese composite radar imagery." Still, the storm will deliver a significant impact across Portugal, not used to such storms. "After landfall, rapid weakening is anticipated, and Leslie is forecast to degenerate into a broad low pressure area over or just north of Spain by late Sunday," the National Hurricane Center said. Landfall is expected Sunday by post-tropical cyclone Leslie at or near Porto, Portugal at 14000z. "The passage of LESLIE will be marked by strong wind and precipitation, reason why it is absolutely necessary that all the indications of the National Authority of Civil Protection are followed," Portugal officials warned Saturday. "Leslie is expected to bring near hurricane-force winds to portions of Portugal later tonight as a powerful post-tropical cyclone," the National Hurricane Center said. "Gale-force winds are also likely to affect portions of northwestern and northern Spain tonight and Sunday. "Leslie is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 25 to 75 mm (1 to 3 inches) with isolated amounts as high as 125 mm (5 inches) across portions of Portugal and Spain, which could cause flash flooding."