Extratropical Cyclone Triggers Deadly Storms and School Closures Across Southern Brazil

Three people, including a child, died in Paraná after a landslide buried their home in Ponta Grossa. The fatalities occurred as an extratropical cyclone formed off the coast of Paraná, bringing severe weather to the Center South of Brazil. In Paraná, the storms caused flooding, power outages, and the formation of two tornadoes in the municipalities of Francisco Alves and Espigão Alto do Iguaçu. In Porto Amazonas, local authorities evacuated approximately 50 residents from high risk areas due to the rising levels of the Iguaçu River.

In the state of São Paulo, the government suspended classes in the state network for Friday afternoon and evening in several regions, including Presidente Prudente, Marília, Itapeva, Sorocaba, and Registro. This preventive measure affected 876 schools and roughly 381,000 students. Governor Tarcísio de Freitas described the scenario as unpredictable and emphasized the need for prudence to protect lives. The São Paulo Civil Defense established a crisis cabinet at the Centro de Gerenciamento de Emergências to monitor the situation through Saturday. The city of São Paulo has already recorded 100 millimeters of rain in ten days, which is 151.5 percent of the expected monthly average for September.

Rio Grande do Sul also faces significant risks, with forecasts of hail, intense rain, and wind gusts exceeding 90 km/h. The National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) issued alerts ranging from potential danger to great danger for various parts of the state. Meteorologists explain that the combination of the cyclone, a warm and humid air current from Northern Brazil, and a low pressure system known as a cavado has created conditions for supercell storms, which can produce tornadoes and large hail.