Brazil Extends Red Alert as Heat Wave Peaks and Storm Threat Builds

Overview

• Inmet kept its maximum red warning in force through at least Monday for about 1,284 municipalities, with the most intense heat focused on the Southeast.
• Forecasts for Sunday point to 40°C in Rio and around 38°C in São Paulo, which could set the city’s highest December temperature in Inmet’s record since 1943.
• Recent analyses show extraordinary anomalies in capital cities, including São Paulo at roughly 7.8°C and Rio at 7.6°C above seasonal averages.
• Official stations reported extreme highs such as 38.4°C in Coronel Pacheco (MG) and 39.1°C in Caicó (RN), alongside unusually warm nights in Belo Horizonte.
• As moisture increases, Inmet warns of quick, severe downpours with hail and strong gusts in parts of the Southeast, while the South contends with heavy rain near 100 mm/day and winds up to 60 km/h.