High-Severity Storm Warnings Threaten Brazil’s Election Weekend

Overview

• The national weather service INMET issued red and orange warnings for very heavy rain, gusty winds and potential hail across much of the South and parts of the Southeast, defining red as likely rainfall exceeding 60 mm per hour or 100 mm per day.
• Defesa Civil Nacional has pre‑mobilized technical teams in major cities including Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Porto Alegre and urged states to use the Defesa Civil Alerta cellphone messaging system for targeted warnings.
• Storms already disrupted services on Saturday with flight cancellations at Vitória airport, postponed shows and mass gatherings, and reports of urban flooding in Espírito Santo that forced temporary closures and event changes.
• Meteorologists say the highest operational risk is focused on the overnight and morning hours of election day, Sunday, October 4, because saturated soils and high river levels raise the chances of rapid floods and landslides even where conditions improve later in the day.
• Voters and local officials are advised to monitor official alerts, avoid flood‑prone areas, follow safety guidance from Defesa Civil and emergency contacts 199 or 193, and expect possible transport, power and polling‑site disruptions that could affect turnout and ballot access in hard‑hit municipalities.