The city of Porto Alegre and much of Rio Grande do Sul are facing the worst floods ever seen in the history of the region this Monday (6).
According to information from the Rio Grande do Sul Civil Defense, at least 75 people died as a result of the floods, and 88,000 are homeless.
Faced with the climate catastrophe, Metsul, a private company that carries out weather forecasts, predicts that given the current atmospheric conditions, it is possible that new extremes will hit the country during the month.
According to the institute, the southern states face the clash between two air masses. One is exceptionally hot, which extends throughout the Center and Southeast of Brazil, and another with cold air, which originates in Argentina.
This encounter has been providing much higher-than-expected rainfall since mid-April, and should continue to occur over the next two weeks.
“In 2024, May will be one of the most extreme that has ever been seen in the climate history of the month in Brazil with extreme temperature and rain situations in the Southeast and South of the country that will greatly deviate from the patterns of what is common at this time of year ”, states the bulletin released by Metsul.
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According to Metsul meteorologists, part of the excessive heat recorded in the South, Southeast and Central-West of Brazil is caused by El Niño, a phenomenon that consists of the surface warming of the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America.
The estimate is that the first 15 days of May will record rain of 200% to 400% of the monthly average in locations in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
To make matters worse, these storms are expected to cause extremely high rainfall accumulations, between 300 mm and 500 mm in some municipalities.
It is enough to cause new river floods, floods and floods in urban and rural areas, and collapse of barriers and landslides.
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The rain, meteorologists say, should only begin to subside in the second half of the month.
In the Southeast, the maximum temperature averages should be similar to what is seen in summer, which shows the exceptional nature of the heat wave that is stationed over much of Brazil.
The temperature, says Metsul, should set absolute records and reach up to 40ºC or more.
“The number of fires, with the dry and excessively hot weather, is expected to be well above the May normal,” warns the institute.
