Red dot

21.02.2026. Leiría, Portugal.- Storm Kristin was a compact, catastrophic and record-breaking extratropical cyclone that severely impacted Portugal, as well as parts of the Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe in late January 2026. Storm Kristin was the twenty-sixth storm of the 2025-26 European windstorm season, and the eleventh to be named by the south-western naming group, which consists of France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Kristin was named by the IPMA on 27 January, as a significant impact was forecast.[8] The impact of Kristin and her successors was described as a humanitarian crisis by a researcher in extreme weather and climate change.

Kristin achieved record-breaking status by rapidly intensifying just before striking the Leiria district, becoming Portugal’s strongest on record. Kristin made landfall at peak intensity in the Leiria district, which resulted in extremely intense winds in multiple Portuguese districts.

Kristin especially affected the Portuguese districts of Leiria, Coimbra, and Santarém, but also affected other districts in Portugal such as Lisbon. After moving through Portugal, Kristin also affected Spain severely. As a result of Kristin, Portugal experienced its largest blackout in history. Around 1,000,000 customers in Portugal were without power, according to E-Redes.^[13] Approximately 170,000 customers experienced power outages in Andalusia. Over 2,000 injuries were reported in Portugal, most of them got injured indirectly as a result of cleaning and reconstruction operations or misusage of generators. Furthermore, 14 deaths were attributed to Kristin in Portugal, six direct and eight indirect. One death and 5 injuries were reported in Spain. Estimated monetary losses in Portugal are more than €6 billion, which is more than 1.6% of the country’s GDP, making Kristin the most damaging storm on record for Portugal. Initial government estimates indicate losses of €1.2 billion in Spain, bringing the total amount of losses by Kristin to more than €7.2 billion, which makes Kristin the most damaging European windstorm since Lothar of 1999. At least 15 million trees fell in Portugal during Kristin.

Kristin’s successor, storm Leonardo, was responsible for causing major floodings in parts of Portugal, which exacerbated the impact of Kristin. (Source: Wikipedia, author)

Supporting the long term project WATER by colleague and friend Ian Berry published recently as a book. A colossal work that took him years to complete.

Last copies of WATER, the new book of Ian Berry.
Born April 4, 1934 in Lancashire, UK. From 1952 in South Africa, working for the Daily Mail in Johannesburg and later Drum magazine. Invited to join the Magnum Agency by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1962; full member since 1967. From 1964: first contract photographer for London’s The Observer Magazine. Worldwide assignments, including the coverage of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, conflicts in Israel, Ireland, Vietnam and the Congo, the famine in Ethiopia, and the impact of Apartheid in South Africa. Berry has always worked with Leica cameras – from the M2 to the M9. In 2012, Leica honoured him with a personalised black-lacquer Leica M9-P. The photographer lives in Salisbury, UK.

WEBSITE: HTTPS://WWW.IANBERRYMAGNUM.COM
HTTPS://WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/IANBERRYMAGNUM

28DEC2007. Namibia. Shipwrecks: Known as a “ship graveyard,” the coast is littered with rusted, skeletal remains of vessels, with roughly 300-500 ships believed to have wrecked there.

Leiría, 21.02.26.. Storm Kristin toppled the sculptures in the Almuinha Grande garden in Leiria, titled “Futuro” (Future). Created by Ricardo Romero, the piece consists of two human figures – a child and a woman – and represents hope, recovery, and “the need to move forward into the future.”
“Storm Kristin caused severe damage to artist Ricardo Romero’s studio in Leiria, along with several public artworks. His practice is now paused as recovery begins. A solidarity GoFundMe appeal, link below, is underway to help rebuild the studio and restore working conditions. Any support or sharing helps.”

#storms#kristin#portugal#leiria