Cyclone-Driven Storms Batter Brazil’s South and Southeast as Red Alerts Expand

Overview

• Santa Catarina recorded extreme flooding, with Luiz Alves receiving 180.2 mm in 24 hours and a river rise near eight meters, prompting at least 22 rescues, emergency decrees in six cities and damage across 33 municipalities with at least 130 people displaced.
• Inmet issued high-severity storm warnings covering hundreds of municipalities in Minas Gerais and coastal São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, while more than 150 cities in Bahia are under alerts for up to 100 mm of rain in a day, winds to 100 km/h and hail risk.
• Rio de Janeiro entered Stage 2 alert on Monday evening after widespread urban flooding, and Petrópolis activated an extreme landslide warning for a high-risk neighborhood.
• Rio Verde (GO) was hit by a rapid, destructive burst with about 80 mm of rain in 20 minutes and gusts near 92 km/h, causing structural collapses, flooded streets and service disruptions including 14 health units closed and the 192 line temporarily unavailable.
• Authorities confirmed one death in Hortolândia (SP) after a vehicle was swept away, while hailstorms damaged roofs and vehicles in interior São Paulo and injured more than 100 people in Erechim (RS), which declared an emergency.