Rio de Janeiro windstorm leaves over 500,000 without power and causes five deaths FAST-MOVING
On the afternoon of 29 July 2026 a powerful windstorm hit Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Meteorologists said a low‑pressure zone and a cold front generated gusts of up to 105 km/h in Rio and about 80 km/h in São Paulo, but did not link the event to El Niño.
The storm snapped trees onto power lines, knocking out electricity for more than half a million properties – roughly 370 000 Light customers and 138 000 Enel customers – with the peak outage affecting about 1.1 million users. Light reported 44 trees fell on its network, while the company counted 220 trees downed overall. At least five people died, including two in a wall collapse in Rio’s Santa Teresa district, and three electrocutions were later investigated.
Transport was disrupted, with airports, the Rio metro and commuter trains halted temporarily. State consumer‑protection agencies issued guidance for affected customers to claim compensation for damaged equipment, noting a five‑year deadline under consumer‑protection law.
Entities: Eduardo Cavaliere · Eduardo Cavaliere (Mayor of Rio de Janeiro) · Enel · Enel (electricity concessionaire) · Enel (energy company) · Light · Light (electricity concessionaire) · Light (electricity provider) · Light (energy company) · Marcelo Seluchi · Procon‑RJ (Consumer Protection Agency) · Rio de Janeiro
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Approximately 220 trees fell across Rio de Janeiro during the windstorm. (state authorities)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The city was placed in Stage 2 alert from 16:50 on Wednesday.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Fernando Nunes suffered a deep arm cut from a falling tile and was taken to Hospital Geral de Bonsucesso.
- [● 6 SOURCES] State authorities recorded 291 wind‑related events, including 154 tree cuts, 31 rescues and five building collapses.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere reported roughly 220 tree falls citywide.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Rio de Janeiro had the highest number of incidents (128), followed by Nova Iguaçu (28) and Niterói (25).
- [● 9 SOURCES] Wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h hit Rio de Janeiro on July 29‑30 2026. (weather reports)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A pedestrian in Tijuca narrowly avoided being hit by a falling tree, sustaining only a minor scratch.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Light reported 370,000 customers without power and Enel 138,000 after the windstorm. (57baed25-fca3-4132-bf9e-0f6f9f4b6013, 870e5e17-98a4-417b-b262-6390253e1437)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere activated a crisis cabinet and pledged to restore electricity within 48 hours. (b2d76366-7a38-4a64-a7a5-1ac7e18a445c, 136fb9bc-7806-4bd0-9a02-ee5b2fcc97f2)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Two men, Tássio Maia dos Santos and Vandré Cordeiro, died when a wall collapsed in Santa Teresa. (police report)
- [● 2 SOURCES] A fisherman is missing after his boat capsized near Mambucaba (Angra dos Reis). (search agencies)