Brazil on Danger Alert for Severe Storms as Weekend Downpours Target the Southeast

Overview

• Inmet maintains orange-level storm warnings for 12 states plus the Federal District and broader yellow advisories, with risk concentrated through Jan. 3–4.
• Forecasts call for 50–100 mm of rain per day or 30–60 mm per hour, wind gusts of 60–100 km/h and possible hail, raising risks of flooding, landslides, treefall and power outages.
• São Paulo has activated a crisis cabinet as forecasters flag persistent, heavier totals for the Litoral Norte, Baixada Santista, Vale do Paraíba and Serra da Mantiqueira, with temperatures easing after the late-December heat.
• Heavy rain and strong winds are expected on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, with local alerts such as Petrópolis in effect through midday Monday.
• Additional alerts reach Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia, and Inmet notes a ZCAS pattern that could prolong elevated rainfall into next week with locally high accumulations.