The passage of an extratropical cyclone through Rio Grande do Sul caused damage in at least 14 cities in the state. Winds exceeding 100 km/h were recorded.
On Tuesday afternoon (9), the rain caused floods that reached half the height of the doors of cars circulating in the streets of Osório, on the north coast of the state.
In Porto Alegre, gales in the early hours of Wednesday (10) caused the overflow of a point of the Sarandi stream, in the northern zone. The wind recorded in the capital reached 51.9 km/h.
The precipitation accumulated over the last 12 hours reached 127 mm in Camaquã, where families in the Getúlio Vargas neighborhood were evacuated due to the risk of the Passinho River overflowing. 125 mm were recorded in Cristal and 115 mm in Barra do Ribeiro. The highest accumulated in a single day was recorded in Venâncio Aires, in the mountains, with 158.8 mm. It is expected that from this Wednesday (10), the phenomenon will be less serious in the mountains and worse on the coast.
In addition to Osório and Camaquã, Civil Defense incidents were also recorded this Tuesday in Amaral Ferrador, Arroio do Padre, Bom Retiro do Sul, Capão do Leão, Pelotas, Rio Grande, Sentinela do Sul, Tapes and Turuçu.
As a precautionary measure, the towns of Tramandaí, Cidreira, Pinhal and Torres, among the largest on the coast, have canceled classes in the municipal network. Classes were also suspended in Camaquã and Piratini, in the south-central part of the state.
Winds of 67 km/h were recorded in Tramandaí, 66.7 km/h in Pelotas, 65.2 km/h in Herval and 60.1 km/h in Santa Vitória do Palmar, four towns close to the sea.
The metropolitan areas of Porto Alegre, the north and south coast and parts of the mountains are under red alert from INMET (National Institute of Meteorology).
On Monday afternoon, winds exceeding 100 km/h damaged more than 60 homes, a school and a hospital in Flores da Cunha, in the mountains of Rio Grande do Sul, leaving 5,000 people – one in six of the town’s residents – without power.
Three wineries were affected by the storm, and in one of them the wind toppled the roof, walls and empty vats used in wine production. A crisis office, made up of firefighters, Military Police, Civil Defense and town hall, was created to assist the population in distributing tarpaulins and responding to calls. No injuries were reported.
On Monday, damage and flooding were also reported in Antônio Prado, Barão, Caxias do Sul, Estrela, Farroupilha, Garibaldi, Gentil, Lajeado, Nova Pádua, Pinto Bandeira, São Vendelino, Taquari and Teutônia.
The cyclone is expected to advance towards the sea on Thursday (11), causing instability throughout the day. The weather is expected to stabilize throughout Friday (12) and Saturday (13).
About The Author
