The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) has placed 13 districts under red warning as Hurricane Leslie is moving towards the continental territory late on Saturday.

Portuguese capital Lisbon and the nearby Setubal, the central Leiria and Santarem as well as Coimbra, Aveiro, Porto, Braga, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Castelo Branco, Viseu and Guarda in the north are districts under red warning, according to IPMA.

The strong winds are expected to sweep through these districts between 9:00 p.m. on Saturday and 3:00 a.m. local time on Sunday with the speed reaching up to 190 km per hour.

Commander Belo Costa of the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) recommend that people not walk in streets, completely avoid coastal zones and not leave cars parked under trees.

Portuguese carrier TAP has already announced the cancellation of seven flights because of the bad weather. Flights between Lisbon and Porto, and from Lisbon to Rome, Venice, London, Paris, Oviedo and Madrid were cancelled.

Lisbon mayor Fernando Medina said that all temporary shelters in Lisbon will be open and all street brigades will be in action to help shelter the homeless, adding that Metro stations Saldanha and Arroios will be open with a "dedicated area so that homeless people can have a safe space."