Portugal was severely affected by Storm Kristin on 28 January. The Portuguese districts of Leiria, Coimbra, and Santarém were especially devastated, as Kristin caused wind gusts in excess of 200 km/h, floodings, and landslides.
In the central region of Portugal, Kristin caused estimated monetary losses of €6 billion, which is more than 1.6% of the country's GDP. In the Leiria district, Kristin caused up to €5 billion in losses, which is approximately 65% of Leiria's regional GDP. Hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged and thousands of homes were destroyed. Kristin caused long-term and widespread communication outages in the central region of Portugal, lasting for several months in approximately 20,000 cases. Portugal experienced its largest blackout in history, as approximately a million households and businesses lost power. Kristin caused a severe and large-scale ecological impact, as tens of millions of trees fell. Furthermore, Kristin was recognized as the biggest natural disaster in the country's contemporary history.
Impact Directly after Kristin, around 300,000 people in Portugal lost access to communications. More than three months after Kristin, 20,000 customers remained without access to telecommunications. Right after Kristin, approximately 1 million customers lost power. In the Leiria district, around 300,000 people—approximately 64% of the population—lost access to electricity. According to the REN, 61 very high voltage poles and 774 kilometres of REN's very high voltage lines were taken down, which were designed for maximum winds of 150 km/h. Kristin caused damage to cultural heritage in nearly 20 municipalities, such as the complete destruction of the Charolinha da Mata dos Sete Montes in Tomar and the loss of archaeological complexes at Forto Novo in Loulé. According to the Confederation of Farmers of Portugal, the agricultural and forestry sections suffered losses of €775 million. 90 km of coastline got affected by Kristin. 185 church buildings in Portugal suffered significant damage. There was a very significant devastation to Portuguese pig farming, especially in the Leiria region. Multiple transmission towers were destroyed, which affected the ability of multiple radio stations to broadcast. Pine forests and woodlands were destroyed in the Leiria and Coimbra districts.
There are estimated losses of €30 million in the poultry sector, as Kristin led to an expected drop of 5% in egg production. More than 250 libraries have suffered damage. Over 5,900 companies reported estimated losses of approximately €1.3 billion in total. EDP, which is part of E-Redes, estimates losses of approximately €80 million, which includes damage to electricity grids and generation assets, as well as associated operational costs. Over six thousand kilometres of network were affected by Kristin. In the coastal strip between Leiria and Figueira da Foz, more than two million cubic metres of pine wood needs to be removed. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests were affected by Kristin.
205,000 homes were damaged in Portugal by Kristin. Insurance companies in Portugal received over 140,000 claims after Kristin. Out of those claims, more than 60,000 claims were filed in the Leiria district. More than 500 people in Portugal were displaced after Kristin. The Impact Center for Climate Change estimates that 60% of companies registered in Marinha Grande, Leiria, Ourém, Ferreira do Zêzere, and Pombal suffered damage. The Médio Tejo region suffered €185 million in damage. Around 22,000 requests were filed to rebuild homes in Portugal after Kristin. Kristin destroyed 20% of the national resin production in Portugal. Beira Baixa reported a loss of €86 million. Coastal erosion up to 20 metres, destroyed access roads and walls, and unstable cliffs were reported at the coastline of Portugal. 40% of the eucalyptus forest has been destroyed by Kristin. The estimated insured losses are €1.2 billion. Kristin caused damage to around 300 pig farms in Portugal. Some military structures were damaged by Kristin. Kristin reduced the amount of beaches in Portugal. Thousands of telecommunication poles were destroyed in the central region of Portugal.
Leiria District Kristin caused estimated losses of €5 billion in the Leiria district, which is around 65% of its regional GDP. It was estimated that 170 of the 180 companies in the Meirinhas parish lost their roof, as a result of storm Kristin. 95% of all houses were damaged in the Meirinhas parish, where losses exceed €500 million. The Leiria Hospital got overwhelmed by the amount of polytrauma patients in the first days after Kristin. There were 84 people displaced in the municipality of Leiria. 177 people in the Leiria district were directly injured by Kristin. Furthermore, Gonçalo Lopes, the mayor of Leiria, described Leiria as a "warzone," describing it will take more than a year to recover. According to him, churches lost roofs, sport halls lost roofs, many houses lost tiles, and houses and cars were completely destroyed. The prime minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, admitted it will take many years before the Pombal area, which is an area in the heavily affected Leiria district, will be fully recovered. Nearly all homes in the municipality of Pombal suffered damage and the losses in Portugal are significantly higher than in the 2024 Portugal wildfires and the 2025 Portugal wildfires. A large part of the Leiria National Forest got devastated by Kristin. According to construction companies in Leiria, there is no capacity for recovery, and it will most likely take more than a year for things to go back to the way they were before. Also, factories and houses are completely destroyed according to them. In Leiria, schools were closed for at least a week, as a result of Kristin. In the vicinity of Soure, almost all electricity poles were knocked down by Kristin, alongside with several trees. Soure also experienced multiple floods, due to Kristin. Kristin resulted in the 'worst infrastructure destruction ever,' according to information obtained by Expresso. Thousands of kilometres of power lines were affected by Kristin.
Around 90% of businesses in Marinha Grande reported damage after Kristin. Almost all trees at the Castle of Leiria were destroyed by Kristin, alongside with eighteen metres of wall that collapsed. Right after Kristin, several families were isolated in Marinha Grande. The municipality of Marinha Grande reported ten minor injuries and rehoused 75 people. The Aliança Christian Community Church in Leiria lost its roof. Kristin scattered asbestos roof tiles across the public roads. The municipality of Figueiró dos Vinhos has 850 houses that suffered roof damage, as a result of Kristin. More than a thousand homes were damaged as a whole in the municipality and there were 30 hectares in the municipal forest of Figueiró dos Vinhos where not a single tree was left standing. The cemetery of Figueiró dos Vinhos was damaged. The bus terminal of Leiria collapsed, which resulted in around 45 vehicles being damaged. The Pedrógão Grande Volunteer Fire Department headquarters, which experienced severe structural damage and has been inoperable after Kristin, has suffered losses of around €720,000. Several classrooms in a school in the Colmeais parish were flooded. A kindergarten disappeared in Coucinheira and hundreds of houses lost their roofs in the municipality of Leiria. 25 people were displaced in Alvaiázere and 95% of all businesses and homes were affected there. Furthermore, the local health center in Alvaiázere had to close due to structural damage.
In Ansião, an agricultural supply store was completely destroyed. Several houses were damaged in Monte Real. In the Leiria region, two companies of the TJ Moldes group got destroyed, which left Porsche in Germany without parts. The Leiria City Council spent €12 million on cleaning and recovery work by 11 February, two weeks after Kristin. In Leiria and Torres Vedras, greenhouses and crops were destroyed. The La Redoute building in Leiria got severely damaged by Kristin. Many jobs in Pombal are at risk due to the impact of Kristin. Almost all shop windows were destroyed in Leiria. In the Barosa industrial zone, many companies were partially or totally destroyed. At the entrance of Marinha Grande, a group of modular houses were blown away. The Sporting Clube Marinhense lost its pavilion. In the Boavista area, the Municipal Exhibition Pavilion, which also served as a market, is completely destroyed. Along the waterfront of Praia da Vieira, all restaurants have broken windows and there is damage to swimming pools and hotels. A café in Vieira de Leiria got their windows shattered. The Diocese of Leiria-Fátima recorded damage to approximately 45% of its religious heritage. Churches, chapels, and parish centers suffered structural and artistic damage. At least 150 schools got damaged in Leiria by Kristin. The São Tiago da Guarda Parish Social Center suffered significant damage. The studio of an artist suffered extensive damage in Leiria.
The Ti Augusta restaurant in Pousos experienced severe damage. Kristin caused at least €35 million in damage to municipal equipment in Pombal, alongside with at least €80 million in damage to businesses and the displacement of 90 people. Kristin caused €15 million in damage to municipal infrastructure in Nazaré and almost €15 million in damage to public and private property in Porto de Mós. 80% of homes were affected by Kristin in Pedrógão Grande. More than 90 of the 125 clubs in the Leiria Football Association suffered significant damage due to Kristin. Kristin caused €106 million in damage to municipal equipment in Marinha Grande. The total amount of damage in Marinha Grande exceeds €143 million.
At the Hotel Cristal Vieira Praia, approximately €1 million in damage was caused by Kristin. Estimated monetary losses in the municipality of Leiria exceed €792.8 million, which doesn't include costs related to municipal and state infrastructure and forestry. The total amount of damage in the municipality of Leiria exceeds €1 billion. Up to eight million trees fell in the municipality of Leiria. 27% of all trees in the municipality of Leiria fell. A beach bar in Marinha Grande has been severely damaged. Schools in the municipalities of Leiria and Marinha Grande were destroyed by Kristin. All schools in the Leiria district were damaged. One month and a half after Kristin, some of those schools remain closed. The entire forest cover of Marinha Grande is on the ground, as a result of Kristin. Porto de Mós suffered an estimated damage of €8 million. Around 100 animals have been reported missing in the Leiria district after Kristin. The Praia da Vieira kindergarten got severely damaged. The municipality of Alvaiázere has estimated losses of more than €60 million. Several beehives were destroyed by Kristin in the Coimbrão parish.
Municipal losses exceed €15.6 million in the municipality of Batalha. A café in Pedrogão Grande was destroyed, alongside with several roofs of houses. Approximately 90% of the homes in the Arrabal parish were affected by water infiltration. A wooden house was swept away in Arrabal. The Mira de Aire cemetery got damaged by Kristin. 55,000 m² of greenhouses and net shelters were destroyed at a floriculture company in the parish of Ortigosa. There is a preliminary estimate of up to €9 million in damage to the road network in Pombal. The Leiria Polytechnic Institute suffered €6 million in damage, as extensive and widespread damage was reported. The municipality of Pedrógão Grande reported damage to more than 800 houses and €12 million in damage to municipal property in a provisional assessment. By 24 February, Pedrógão Grande still did not have internet. A gas leak was reported at a school in Calhas da Reinha.