Frontal System Brings Heavy Storms to Southeast as South Faces Sharp Cold Spell

Overview

• The front-plus-cyclone system is producing heavy showers, frequent lightning and localized flood risk in parts of the Southeast with Inmet alerts active for states including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo.
• Ribeirão Preto recorded 306 lightning discharges early Friday and remains under an Inmet orange alert that warns of intense rain rates, gusts capable of causing power outages and possible hail.
• Authorities reported more than 100 houses damaged by a temporal in São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, and local agencies say additional moderate rains are expected in southern Piauí over the coming days.
• A polar air mass driven by the same large-scale system is arriving in the South, where forecasts call for strong winds, a sharp temperature drop and possible frost in higher terrain.
• Heat persists across much of the North and Northeast with daytime highs near 36–41°C in some inland areas, and meteorological services say forecasts will continue to evolve over the next 48–72 hours with continued monitoring for heavy rain and wind impacts.