The southern region of the country should record intense rains because of El Niño, says the National Institute of Meteorology
A new heat wave is expected to keep temperatures high throughout Mato Grosso do Sul and part of São Paulo, according to an alert released by Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology) on Saturday (April 27, 2024). The climate event affects the western portion of São Paulo and will not reach the metropolitan region.
According to the alert, another 4 states could be partially affected. Mato Grosso and Goiás should pay attention to a range that reaches the south of the 2 States. In Paraná, the temperature rises in northern municipalities. The heat wave also reaches part of the Triângulo Mineiro region, in Minas Gerais.
The alert published on Saturday is valid until 6pm on Wednesday (May 1, 2024). In the Inmet classification, heat waves occur when the temperature remains, over at least 5 days, 5 ºC above the expected average for the month.
According to the bulletin, 694 municipalities are expected to be affected. Cities such as Dourados (MS) and Araçatuba (SP) have forecast temperatures of up to 36 ºC – which is considered quite high for this time of year.
El Niño
Strong heat waves have hit Brazilian territory since 2023, being responsible for record temperatures in some cities. The Central-West and Southeast regions are most affected.
According to climatologists, temperature rises are related to El Niño, a phenomenon that occurs at intervals of time ranging from 3 to 7 years. In effect since last year, it is approaching its end, according to NOAA (United States National Atmospheric and Oceanic Agency).
Experts also point to the influence of global warming on the planet, resulting from excess greenhouse gas emissions, which tends to result in increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather.
Storms
While the Central-West and Southeast record rising temperatures due to El Niño, in the south of the country the phenomenon tends to cause intense rains. This occurs due to changes in the circulation dynamics of air masses. Cold fronts end up staying longer in the southern region instead of advancing over Brazilian territory.
Inmet indicates the possibility of rain of 30 to 60 millimeters per hour or 50 to 100 millimeters per day. In addition, intense winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour and hail may occur. The agency issued a warning about the risk of electricity cuts, damage to crops, falling trees and flooding.
Some cities have already recorded a storm on Saturday afternoon (27 April). In Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), there was a hailstorm, power outages and damaged houses. In the west of Rio Grande do Sul, the municipality of Quaraí recorded an accumulation of more than 170 millimeters in a period of 24 hours.
Rains also caused damage in the Northeast of the country. In Fortaleza (CE), 3 houses collapsed during a storm in the early hours of Saturday (27). There were no injuries.
With information from Agência Brasil.
