CW3E Event Summary: January-February 2026 Iberian Peninsula ARs

April 3, 2026

Click here for a pdf of this information.

Multiple ARs Fuel Well Above Average Precipitation Over Iberian Peninsula

• An active weather pattern over the North Atlantic contained nine storms named by the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere; IPMA) during ~20 Jan to 15 Feb 2026.
• Of the nine storms, seven were associated with landfalling atmospheric rivers (ranked AR1 or greater) on the Iberian Peninsula.
• The storms produced extreme and well-above average precipitation in Portugal and Spain.
• Additional impacts included strong winds, such as Storm Kristin (AR #2) with the strongest wind gust ever observed in Portugal (129.74 mph or 58 m/s)

Summary provided by M. Steen, J. Cordeira and P. Capute; 3 April 2026

To sign up for email alerts when CW3E post new AR updates click here.

*Outlook products are considered experimental

For any unfamiliar terms, please refer to the American Meteorological Society Glossary.