Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Gale-Force Winds Leave 1.5 Million Without Power in São Paulo

Brazil’s electricity regulator pressed Enel for a detailed explanation of the prolonged outages.

A tree lies on a damaged car following heavy rains, in Sao Paulo, Brazil December 10, 2025. REUTERS/Leticia Fucuchima
A tree lies on a damaged car following heavy rains, in Sao Paulo, Brazil December 10, 2025. REUTERS/Leticia Fucuchima
A tree lies on a damaged car following heavy rains, in Sao Paulo, Brazil December 10, 2025. REUTERS/Jorge Silva
Sao Paulo was battered by winds of more than 90 kilometers per hour (55 miles per hour)

Overview

  • An extratropical cyclone drove a roughly 12-hour gale with gusts near 98 km/h, toppling trees and damaging lines across the metropolitan area.
  • Enel reported about 2 million customers lost service at the peak and said around 500,000 were restored by Thursday, leaving roughly 1.4–1.5 million still without electricity.
  • São Paulo city hall counted 231 fallen trees as crews worked to clear debris and repair infrastructure.
  • Sabesp said power losses halted water pumps in many neighborhoods and that supply is resuming gradually as electricity returns.
  • Air travel disruptions eased after hundreds of cancellations, with Aena citing dozens of flights canceled Thursday at Congonhas and Guarulhos as operations normalized for some services.