RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – An intense cold air mass may cause the lowest temperatures of the century in Brazil. In the most extreme places of the southern region, the thermal sensation (“feels like” temperature) may reach -25ºC, with a high probability of snow, according to MetSul Meteorologia.
The studies published by the meteorological society are still preliminary and should be confirmed this weekend or Monday (26). The mass of intense polar origin should start between Tuesday and Wednesday next week and extend until the end of the week.
According to numerical models analyzed by MetSul, the temperature will be lower than in late June and early July this year.
Meteorologists say such a phenomenon was recorded in July 2000 and 2007. Regions with an altitude above 1,800m, such as Morro da Igreja (Santa Catarina state), should have a feels like temperature between -20°C and -25°C.
In Rio Grande do Sul, these temperatures drop as low as -20°C, with the maximum on thermometers as low as -5°C.
If the study is confirmed over the weekend, cities in São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul may experience frost, with a feels like temperature of 0°C.
The probability of snow at higher elevations is also high, according to MetSul. However, projections are still subject to change and may vary negatively or positively in relation to thermometers.
The Climatempo and Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology) websites also confirm predictions of extreme cold but strike a more conservative tone when reporting on the cold front, which the entities say promises to bring the lowest temperatures of the year.
The information reports snow in the mountains of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
According to Inmet, the minimum temperatures predicted “in a wide range” of the southern region will range between – 6 ° C and – 8 ° C on the morning of Friday, July 30.
But there is a hint of “temperatures below – 8 ° C” in higher areas of the southern states, which motivates the forecast of possible snowfall between the 29th and 30th of this month.
Inmet and Climatempo have not detailed “feels like” projections as MetSul Meteorologia has.