First Snow

So you thought Portugal was warm? So far, November has been quite cool and autumnal here in Tabua. The evenings, in particular, have often been much like the cold, misty November nights I remember from my schooldays in Rickmansworth. Then last Monday, November 15th, we woke to see snow covering all the nearby mountains.

The previous day, Sunday, had been cold and wet here in Tabua, but I didn't expect to see snow so early. Not only was there a thick blanket on the Serra da Estrela (Portugal's highest range), but all the ridges of the much lower Serra de Acor were also white. (This is the range of mountains that burned so badly last summer.) Not content to simply see the snow from our apartment windows, we decided to go and experience it first-hand.

Up at around 1800 m, it was blowing a gale and still snowing. Very cold indeed!

Not enough snow yet for skiing, but I do have high hopes for some back-country ski trips (if I can get my skis over here from Japan!)

Local people have often said that snow in the Serra da Estrela is key to our water supply. I don't really know how that works -- we and other people who have heard the same tale live on high ground well above the valleys of the large rivers that the snow melt must drain into -- but if it is true, then I'm very happy to see the beginnings of a snow build-up. Last winter, when we arrived in February, the mountains were mostly clear of snow. It was only after a large storm in early March that the mountains looked briefly wintery.