Storm Kristin Internet Impact Report - Portugal 2026
Cloudflare Radar tracks Internet traffic patterns across its global network. This report documents the Internet disruptions in Portugal caused by Storm Kristin and the ongoing recovery, as observed on our network.
This report tracks the Internet traffic disruptions in Portugal caused by Storm Kristin, which made landfall on January 28, 2026. Data is sourced from Cloudflare Radar and @CloudflareRadar on X, providing real-time visibility into the storm's impact on connectivity across affected regions.
Storm Kristin brought winds up to 150 km/h (93 mph), causing widespread power outages affecting approximately 1 million households at peak disruption, with significant Internet traffic drops observed in multiple districts including Leiria, Santarem, and Coimbra.
Peak Impact: Internet traffic dropped by approximately 70% in Leiria and 52% in Coimbra during the height of the storm. Recovery is ongoing, with some regions still experiencing residual effects more than 12 days later.
Key Insights
- Leiria was the hardest hit region, experiencing a ~70% drop in Internet traffic after 04:00 UTC on January 28, with the slowest recovery trajectory among affected districts.
- Approximately 1 million households were affected by power outages at the storm's peak, according to local news reports, directly correlating with the observed traffic drops.
- Coimbra showed the fastest recovery, returning to near-normal levels within 24-48 hours, while Leiria and Santarem took significantly longer.
- After 8 days, power-line damage continued to affect around 78,000 households, with traffic in Leiria and Santarem still approximately 15% below normal levels.
Impact Statistics at Peak
Day-by-Day Timeline
Storm Kristin hit Portugal early morning with winds up to 150 km/h (93 miles/h), causing power and communication outages. Internet traffic dropped ~70% in Leiria after 04:00 UTC and remained impacted. Coimbra saw a ~52% drop from 05:30 but began recovering. Local news reported around 1 million households affected by power outages.
Storm Kristin's impact still being felt after 24 hours, with power and Internet disruptions affecting several regions. Santarem and Coimbra moved closer to normal levels, but the Leiria region ("distrito") remained at around half of its usual traffic.
After 58 hours, power and Internet disruptions continued in some regions. Traffic in Leiria was about 40% lower than usual, and in Santarem about 30% lower. The Coimbra region had mostly recovered.
After six days, Storm Kristin's impact became less noticeable in Internet traffic. Traffic in Leiria and Santarem was about 20% lower than usual, with clear signs of recovery visible in the data.
After eight days, Storm Kristin's impact was less visible in Internet traffic. However, according to local news, power-line damage continued to affect around 78,000 households. Traffic in Leiria and Santarem was about 15% lower than usual, with clear signs of recovery.
Internet traffic in the Leiria and Santarem regions remains 10-20% below normal since Jan 28. After Storm Kristin, additional storms have hit Portugal, slowing power-line repairs and keeping connectivity unstable.
Peak Starlink traffic in Portugal was recorded this past week, driven by heavier use after the Jan 28 impact of Storm Kristin. In the week ending Feb 8, Starlink traffic rose 15% week over week, 23% from mid-January, and 30% above the best week of 2025 (Nov 18).
Regional Impact Summary
| Region | Peak Drop | Day 3 Status | Day 8 Status | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leiria | -70% | -40% | -15% | Recovering |
| Santarem | ~-50% | -30% | -15% | Recovering |
| Coimbra | -52% | Normal | Normal | Recovered |
Live Traffic Data
Real-time traffic data from Cloudflare Radar for the most affected regions.
Leiria
Santarem
Data Source: Cloudflare Radar | Updates via @CloudflareRadar on X
This report aggregates observations from January 28 - February 9, 2026. Live embeds show data as of Feb 10, 2026.