Hail and floods hit thousands in southern Brazil as cyclone looms; Paraná swelters in near-40°C heat

Hailstorm leaves widespread damage

The southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul was hit over the weekend by a severe hailstorm that affected more than 9,500 people and damaged around 2,200 homes, according to a Sunday evening report from the state Civil Defense agency cited by G1 and Folha de S.Paulo. One person was injured, ten were left homeless and 20 were displaced; no deaths or missing persons have been reported.

The hardest-hit town was Santiago, where 5,000 residents were affected and about 1,000 homes damaged — video footage showed hail piling up so thickly that streets turned almost white. In Alegrete, 2,000 people were affected and 700 homes damaged; the town also accounts for the only reported injury and all ten people left homeless. Capão do Cipó reported 820 affected residents, and Catuípe 800. The storm entered the state Saturday afternoon through the western border, hitting Barra do Quaraí and Uruguaiana.

Cause and new alert

Meteorologists attribute the storms to a low-pressure system between northern Argentina and Paraguay pushing warm, humid air into Rio Grande do Sul. Brazil's National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) has issued an orange danger alert, valid all day Monday, for both Rio Grande do Sul and neighboring Santa Catarina, warning of intense rainfall (30–60 mm/h or 50–100 mm over the day), wind gusts of 60–100 km/h, and hail, with risks of flooding, fallen trees, crop damage and power outages.

According to G1, some areas of the Campanha and western regions could see rainfall exceeding 130 mm on Monday, with over 120 mm possible within just 12 hours in some locations. On Tuesday, as a cyclone forms alongside a cold front, the heaviest rainfall is expected in the Fronteira Oeste area — around 115 mm in Dom Pedrito and 105 mm in Santana do Livramento. Folha reports that cumulative rainfall between Saturday and Monday could exceed 200 mm in the Campanha and western regions.

A contrasting heat wave in Paraná

Meanwhile, in the neighboring state of Paraná, G1 reports that Sunday brought near-40°C temperatures, with Capanema recording the state's highest at 39.9°C. Inmet has issued a high-severity heat wave warning valid until Wednesday, as temperatures have run more than 5°C above average for over five days. On Tuesday, some areas could reach as high as 41°C, while an approaching cold front is also expected to raise storm risk across the state.