Overview
- Two tornadoes struck western Santa Catarina, hitting Chapecó and Xanxerê during Wednesday’s storm and forcing the Serafim Enoss Bertaso airport to close after large glass panes, metal structures and a parked plane were damaged.
- The airport concessionaire Voe Xap has suspended flights indefinitely and is carrying out structural inspections while advising passengers to contact airlines and avoid the terminal.
- State civil defense and meteorological agencies recorded severe gusts during the event, with one station noting 93 km/h and INMET logging gusts up to 126 km/h as social videos showed debris and shattered windows at the terminal.
- Authorities declared states of emergency in four municipalities and reported widespread impacts across the state, with 58 municipalities affected, 1,438 homes damaged, power and communications outages, and local school suspensions.
- Experts linked the outbreak to a supercell within a season of intense rains and said the strong 2026 El Niño raises the chance of further heavy storms and flooding in southern Brazil, which could prolong travel and recovery disruptions.