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Is the word enchentes the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?

No

While the word "enchentes" exists in both varieties and shares the same fundamental meaning (floods/inundations), there is a difference in typical usage. In Brazil, "enchentes" is the standard, everyday term used to describe urban flooding, streets covered in water, or seasonal rises in river levels. In Portugal, although "enchentes" is understood, the word "cheias" is much more common and is the natural choice when referring to floods, particularly those involving rivers overflowing their banks.

Brazilian Portuguese Examples

  1. As enchentes costumam acontecer no verão. (Floods usually happen in the summer.)
  2. A prefeitura está fazendo de tudo para evitar enchentes. (The city hall is doing everything to prevent floods.)
  3. Tivemos muitas enchentes no bairro este ano. (We had many floods in the neighborhood this year.)
  4. A chuva forte causou enchentes em várias ruas. (The heavy rain caused flooding in several streets.)
  5. O trânsito parou por causa das enchentes. (Traffic stopped because of the floods.)

Continental Portuguese Examples

  1. As cheias costumam ocorrer no inverno. (Floods usually occur in the winter.)
  2. A câmara está a tomar medidas para prevenir as cheias. (The city council is taking measures to prevent the floods.)
  3. Houve muitas cheias na região este ano. (There were many floods in the region this year.)
  4. A chuva intensa provocou cheias em vários locais. (The intense rain caused flooding in several places.)
  5. O trânsito ficou retido devido às cheias. (Traffic was stuck due to the floods.)