Rio de Janeiro.- Strong gales of over 100 kilometers per hour in southern and southeastern Brazil left at least five people dead this Wednesday, in addition to causing landslides, fallen trees, and disruptions to public, maritime, and air transport in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, official sources reported.
Strong winds, associated with the advance of a cold front, began causing havoc on Tuesday night in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and this Wednesday reached the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where there was damage to infrastructure and power outages.
In São Paulo, the most industrialized and populous region of the country, a man died in the port city of Santos after a tree fell, and for the same reason, another died in the municipality of Sorocaba while driving.
In the tourist destination of São Sebastião, on the northern coast of São Paulo, a fisherman lost his life after his boat capsized during the storm, according to local media.
The gusts, which at times exceeded 120 kilometers per hour, also forced the temporary suspension of operations at the port of Santos, the largest in Latin America, as well as passenger maritime transport.
In Rio de Janeiro, the gale caused power outages in different neighborhoods of the Fluminense capital, in addition to partially interrupting the operation of the subway and the Santos Dumont airport.
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The gusts recorded at Galeão International Airport, reaching up to 74.1 kilometers per hour, forced four flights to be diverted to other airports and several of its operations suffered delays.
In addition, two deaths were recorded as a result of a wall collapsing in the popular neighborhood of Santa Teresa, in downtown Rio.
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The Rio Fire Department reported that by the afternoon it had responded to 30 incidents of fallen trees, 26 rescues of people, and four landslides related to the gale, while authorities recommended that the population avoid unnecessary travel and remain attentive to official warnings.
In Rio Grande do Sul, bordering Uruguay and Argentina, strong winds left five people injured and forced the evacuation of 149 people, according to Civil Defense, after causing damage to homes and infrastructure during Tuesday night.
Rio de Janeiro’s weather alert system warned that gusts could reach 90 kilometers per hour between this Wednesday and Thursday due to the advance of the cold front along the Fluminense coast.
For its part, the Government of São Paulo maintains its crisis cabinet activated to monitor the evolution of the cold front, which will continue until this Thursday.
The authorities also warned about the possibility of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hail, which may increase the risk of flooding.
According to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), a wind current in the first few kilometers of the atmosphere that transports heat and humidity toward the center and south of South America will intensify on Friday, which will favor new wind gusts that could exceed 40 kilometers per hour in all states of the southern region of Brazil.
