Rio Grande do Sul hit by severe storms, flooding alerts and emergency declarations
The southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has been under a series of severe weather alerts as a high‑pressure contrast between a low‑pressure system in Argentina and the South Atlantic subtropical anticyclone fuels strong winds, heavy rain and hail. Wind gusts of up to 100 km/h and rainfall totals exceeding 100 mm in a day have been reported across dozens of municipalities. Alerts range from orange to red, with a red warning for accumulated rainfall issued on 21 July.
Damage includes roof blow‑offs, fallen trees, power and water outages, and at least 19 people have been displaced to relatives’ homes. The state’s Defense Civil has declared a state of emergency in seven municipalities to unlock federal assistance. River levels, however, remain below flood thresholds in the Paranhana, Sinos and Guaíba basins. Monitoring continues as the cold front is expected to move in, easing the instability later in the week.