A Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul issued a new warning for extreme rainfall in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Precipitation can exceed – by far – the average expected for an entire month in just a few days.
According to the civil protection agency, practically all of RS is at risk of storms with intense rain and the potential for flooding. In cities closer to the state of Santa Catarina, however, the risk is lower.
On Monday night, the State government posted a video about the weather situation. The state governor, Eduardo Leite, stated that “the news is serious” when he defined the unstable weather that RS must face in the coming days.
According to Leite, the projection is that the State will enter the “severe” level of the Situation Room’s meteorological alert. This represents a serious risk to people’s lives and integrity, with the possibility of intense storms, rains that cause flooding, lightning, hail and wind.
The governor warned that “it is not yet possible to specify all the effects that will occur in rivers”, specifically, or where gales will occur. The head of the Executive Branch warned that even tornadoes could hit Rio Grande do Sul due to the action of unstable areas.
“It is a very serious weather condition that we will face in the next few days. And it is very important that everyone is attentive”, she reinforced.
What the Civil Defense and Situation Room alert says
Risk of disruption due to isolated storms and occasional intense rainscausing rapid rises of the levels and gutter overflow into arroyos, streams, small streams and riparian regionsthus being able to slow rise of main rivers to achieve flood quotain addition to occasional flooding in urban perimeters.
Hydrological risk
According to Civil Defense, the regions of Fronteira Oeste, Campanha, Costa Doce, Central and Southern regions of RS are on alert for the risk of flooding. The reason is the large volume of rain that has occurred in recent days. And, mainly, because the rains are not likely to stop anytime soon.
In other regions, hydrological risk is still considered to be of concern. The exception is a band between the Northwest and North of RS, where conditions are still considered normal.
In Quaraí, on the Western Border, the Quaraí river has already reached the flood level. Families were removed from their homes.
What the weather forecast says
According to the Situation Room, the weather will be unstable in most regions this Tuesday (30). The reason is an area of low pressure that is unable to advance due to a flow of moisture coming from the north of the country. As a result, the cold front cannot advance.
In this Tuesday (30), instability intensifies in the southern half, Costa Doce and the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, with intense rain. Volumes that must exceed 90 mm. Electrical discharges, possible hail and strong winds may occur due to the advance of the cold front over the ocean.
In other areas of Rio Grande do Sul, there is also a chance of occasional storms. Furthermore, there is a risk of wind gusts in much of the state, ranging between 55 and 70 km/h. However, in some cities there is a chance of winds exceeding 80 km/h during instability.
The tendency is that in Wednesday (1st), instabilities continue to operate across practically the entire state. There remains a risk of storms, due to the slow movement of the cold front over the ocean. The system is unable to advance due to the flow of moisture coming from the north of the country.
In Campanha, South, Center, Missões, Vales, metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and North Coast the accumulations vary between 50 and 70 mm/day. In some cities, values may exceed this, while instabilities affect the regions. Wind gusts vary between 40 and 50 km/h, exceeding 60 km/h during instability.
