Inmet Issues Red Alert for Extreme Storms in Southern Brazil

Overview

• On Monday, Brazil’s national weather service issued a red warning for parts of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, in force from 9:10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a high risk of severe storms.
• Inmet’s color scale signals rising danger, with yellow for 20–30 mm of rain per hour and 40–60 km/h winds, orange for up to 100 mm in a day with stronger gusts, and red for extreme events.
• The red alert calls for more than 100 mm of rain in a day, bursts above 60 mm in an hour, winds that can top 100 km/h, and possible hail across areas of the two southern states.
• Storms are already causing damage, with about 70 mm of rain flooding streets and homes in Vitória da Conquista in Bahia overnight into Monday, and reports of downed trees and vehicle damage in the Porto Alegre metro area.
• Orange and yellow alerts remain in effect across other regions through Wednesday, covering parts of Bahia, Paraná, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Maranhão, Ceará, Piauí, and more, as officials urge residents to avoid trees during gusts, unplug electronics, and call Civil Defense at 199 or the Fire Department at 193.