Holidaymakers stranded as Madeira sees cancelled flights and cruise stops amid Storm Bruna's 80mph wind and heavy downpours

Published: 11:14 EST, 9 November 2026 | Updated: 11:16 EST, 9 November 2026 With November temperatures averaging around 20C (68F) in Madeira, the Portuguese island is usually a great bet for warming winter sun. However, the popular holiday spot has been hit by Storm Bruna – with gusts of wind reaching 80mph over the weekend in Chão do Areeiro. A whopping 125 weather-related incidents across the island were reported by the Regional Civil Protection Service between 8am on Saturday and Sunday morning, The Resident reports.There was flooding in Santo António da Serra, Santa Cruz, due to heavy downpours and some roads became unusable. The storm wreaked havoc on travel to and from Madeira, with dozens of flights reportedly cancelled from Madeira International Airport due to poor visibility and strong winds.Many departing flights on Saturday were delayed until Sunday, causing further disruption. Madeira was hit by Storm Bruna over the weekend, and footage posted on TikTok showed flooded streets in Funchal Flights were cancelled and two cruise ships changed their itineraries to avoid the islandMadeira is also a popular cruise stop and two vessels scheduled to call at Funchal, the island's main passenger port, were cancelled. They were due to stop on Sunday and Monday but the weather caused the ships to divert and change itineraries.Today, November 9, Madeira's south coast has a yellow weather warning in place for sea agitation by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).Madeira's yellow warning escalates to the rest of the island tomorrow for wind from 10pm on November 10 to 12pm on November 11. Rain, thunderstorms and wind are forecast for much of mainland Portugal too which also has some warnings in place. Footage shared online revealed the extent of the chaos, with one clip posted on TikTok showing huge waves crashing against a wall lined with crabs which appeared to be avoiding the choppy ocean. 'Even the crabs are making a run for it,' the caption read.Another holidaymaker shared their experience flying home from Madeira and pointed their camera towards a board showing cancelled flights. Another clip showed choppy waves crashing against a barrier Another video, captured on November 7, showed cars in Funchal attempting to plough through flooded streets. It comes after another popular holiday spot – Mallorca – was battered by strong winds and rain in August.Thunderstorms swept across the typically sunny location. Winds of over 60mph hit Porreres, a small agricultural town in the south of the island in August, with gusts of over 40mph battering other parts of the island. Across the Balearics there were 75 incidents from the storm, with 31 cases in Mallorca, Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.