Windstorm With 100+ km/h Gusts Kills Five and Strikes Southeast Brazil

Overview

• The wind event that hit on Wednesday, July 29 produced gusts above 100 km/h and is linked to at least five deaths across São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, including two people killed by a collapsed wall in Santa Teresa, Rio.
• Operators reported large-scale power interruptions after transmission faults and a shutdown of the Grajaú substation forced load reductions of about 1,500 MW and left hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity.
• Public transport and aviation were widely disrupted with metro and train services halted for safety checks, Santos Dumont temporarily closed for operations and multiple flights diverted at Galeão, though many services were being restored by the following day.
• Emergency teams set up crisis cabinets, mobilized firefighters and civil defense crews for rescues and repairs, and search operations remain active for a fisherman missing off Tarituba in Angra dos Reis.
• Forecasters warn of continued instability in parts of the South and interior Southeast driven by regional patterns such as a low-level jet and El Niño influence, and authorities say recovery work, damage assessments and targeted warnings will continue in the coming days.