Severe Storm Alerts Hit Brazil During Oct. 3–4 Election Weekend

Overview

• Meteorological agencies issued high‑severity warnings for the Oct. 3–4 weekend, including INMET red ('Grande Perigo') alerts for parts of the Southeast and orange/red notices across the South and Centre‑West.
• The National Civil Defense pre‑mobilized technical teams in Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Porto Alegre to support state defenses and emergency response.
• Weather on Saturday already disrupted services: heavy rain in Espírito Santo forced eight flight cancellations at Vitória airport, postponed events and caused urban flooding in several municipalities.
• Forecasters said the episode is driven by a low‑pressure system and an forming extratropical cyclone that could produce extreme hourly rainfall (over 60 mm/h), daily totals above 100 mm, gusts commonly 80–100 km/h and hail, raising flood and landslide risk in vulnerable areas.
• Authorities urged use of the Defesa Civil Alerta cell‑broadcasts for immediate warnings, gave emergency numbers (Defesa Civil 199, Corpo de Bombeiros 193), and told voters to avoid flood‑prone areas and shelter from lightning and falling debris while some regions expect gradual improvement on Sunday.