Brazil prepares for polar cold front as Inmet rules out cyclone‑bomb

The National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) said there will be no "cyclone bomb" forming over Brazil in the coming days. Instead, a polar air mass will move in, bringing a cold front that will affect the southern half of the country from the weekend onward. Temperatures in the southern states are expected to drop near zero, with some high‑altitude locations in Santa Catarina and Paraná potentially recording sub‑zero readings. The front will also lower temperatures in parts of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the southern region of Minas Gerais, while the North, Northeast and most of the Central‑West will remain unchanged.

Satellite images show the front extending more than 7,000 km from the South Atlantic across the continent, reaching Peru and the southern Amazon basin. It will bring widespread cloudiness and rain in states such as Rio Grande do Sul (where lows of ‑5.6 °C were recorded), Santa Catarina (‑9.2 °C in Bom Jardim da Serra), and parts of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. The cold spell is expected to be less severe than the recent intense cold that affected the same regions.