Snow Pushes Road Closures to Lower Altitudes in Serra da Estrela, Hitting Hotels

Visitors and residents hoping for a weekend of snow-play in the country’s highest mountains will have to keep their plans flexible. Heavy flurries returned to the Serra da Estrela overnight, forcing authorities to cut traffic on several stretches that usually remain open until much higher altitudes. Forecasts point to more snow and ice through the week, meaning the white postcard scenery may come at the cost of extra travel headaches.

At a glance: essential take-aways

• Road closures now start below 1 400 m, affecting popular routes such as the N338 between Piornos and Lagoa Comprida.

• The IPMA keeps Castelo Branco and Guarda under yellow warnings for snow and freezing temperatures until at least Friday night.

• Nine snowploughs and three rotary blowers are on 24-hour duty but clearing takes longer when winds keep drifting snow back onto the tarmac.

• Tourism boards warn of a drop in reservations just as the peak season usually accelerates; hoteliers report cancellations topping 30 % since mid-month.

• Travellers should follow updates from the GNR Infovias platform and carry chains, blankets and a power bank if driving up the mountain.

Snow intensifies, lower roads close first

It was only mid-January when the first closures hit the Torre access roads, yet Monday’s burst of Arctic air pushed the cut-off line even lower. By dawn, the Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) patrol had blocked the N338 only a few kilometres above Covilhã, citing “near-zero visibility and sheet ice”. Shortly afterwards, Sabugueiro-Lagoa Comprida and Loriga-Portela do Arão were added to the list, leaving local residents dependent on detours that double travel time. The district commands of Guarda and Castelo Branco conceded that reopening will be episodic at best because each clearing run is quickly undone by gusts carrying fresh powder.

Earlier in the season closures were confined to the final hairpins leading to the 1 993 m summit. The present situation shows how temperature swings, wind direction and humidity can abruptly rewrite driving conditions, said meteorologist Ana Santiago from the IPMA regional office in Viseu.

Where to find reliable road information

Motorists unfamiliar with mountain protocols often rely on social media posts, but officials suggest three primary channels. The GNR’s Infovias map displays live traffic restrictions and is updated every 15 minutes. Second, the Centro de Limpeza de Neve—an IP unit stationed at Piornos (1 650 m)—publishes photographs of its work that reveal actual snow height rather than mere advisory text. Finally, the Proteção Civil smartphone app pushes geolocated alerts, which has proven useful for hikers starting in the lower valleys where mobile data is more stable. Cross-checking all three sources before departure reduces the risk of finding an unexpected barrier halfway up the slope.

Machinery working through the night

Clearing crews received a boost this winter when IP invested €750 000 in three new snowploughs, raising the fleet to nine plus three high-capacity rotors. Coupled with 30 tons of rock salt stored at the Piornos depot, the equipment helps reopen priority lanes between ski facilities, telecom towers and emergency shelters. According to operations chief Marco Ferreira, the workflow is straightforward: “We push, we salt, we wait, then we push again.” The complication is wind: a 50 km/h northerly can heap back a full metre of snow on freshly scraped asphalt within an hour.

Besides mechanical muscle, coordination counts. The Sub-regional Command of the Beiras e Serra da Estrela maintains radio contact with municipal firefighters, the GNR rescue unit and the Institute for Nature Conservation (ICNF) to ensure environmental rules are respected while earth-moving gear roars across a protected landscape.

Tourism feels the chill

January is usually the jackpot month for the Covilhã, Seia and Manteigas hotel clusters, but occupancy is now stalling. Hoteliers report that as soon as road closures trend on local news sites, phone lines light up with refund requests. The regional tourist board estimates a 15 % dip in overnight stays during the first half of the month and warns that continued closures could carve another €1.5 M in revenue out of the snow sports economy.

Equipment rental shops, ski instructors and small cafés perched at Penhas da Saúde have also taken a hit. Their livelihood depends on day-trippers who leave Porto or Lisbon at dawn, spend money on lifts and lunch, then drive back by dusk. If the last 11 km remain off-limits, those day passes go unsold, baristas stay home and stock bought for the long weekend threatens to spoil.

Safety first: get mountain-ready

Authorities repeat the mantra every winter, yet many drivers still arrive in trainers and summer tyres. Basic precautions include snow chains, anti-freeze windshield fluid, a charged power bank, high-energy snacks, thermal layers, gloves and hat, warning triangle and at least half a tank of fuel. The list sounds prosaic until one spends two hours idling behind a stranded bus while flakes pile up outside. For would-be hikers, guides recommend turning around if trail markers vanish under more than 15 cm of snow and logging intended routes with the Mountain Police (GNR-Montanha).

Looking ahead: forecast into the weekend

The IPMA’s seven-day outlook keeps temperatures below freezing at 1 800 m and sees another wave of precipitation late Thursday. Wednesday offers the sole window of milder weather, with only a 10 % chance of showers. After that, models converge on a sequence of Atlantic lows delivering 10 cm or more of fresh snow by Friday evening. If the pattern holds, expect authorities to maintain the current restrictions and possibly extend them to Sabugueiro-Gouveia by Saturday. Those set on a snowy getaway should pencil in multiple plan-B activities in the lowlands—or simply wait for the next thaw before driving up to Portugal’s rooftop.