Severe Spring Storms Damage Thousands in Southern Brazil

Overview

• The weekend storms produced organized convection and filmed supercells, with storm chasers recording a large supercell near Alegrete that may have briefly produced a tornado pending formal confirmation.
• Rio Grande do Sul's Defesa Civil reported 12,881 people affected, four injured and 2,727 houses damaged as of the morning of Monday, Sept. 28.
• Paraná tallied about 2,700 people affected with roughly 900 homes damaged in municipalities including Clevelândia and Pinhão, while multiple towns in Santa Catarina reported widespread hail damage and some municipal emergency decrees.
• The Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia issued a 'Perigo' storm alert for seven regions of Rio Grande do Sul and a red-level heat-wave alert covering eight states, and meteorological models forecast a cyclone and frontal system that could deliver local rainfall totals exceeding 200–270 mm on Sept. 29–30.
• Defesa Civils, fire services and utilities such as Energisa have mobilized crews, issued safety guidance and implemented local precautions including a temporary suspension of campaign wind banners in Porto Alegre to reduce risk during the ongoing alerts.