Brazil · Weather
Updated 1 time · Latest: 16 October 2026
In short · 16 October 2026
- Three storm waves hit Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, between 18 September and 5 October 2026, and the state Civil Defence counts each wave separately.
- The first wave, on 21 and 22 September, killed four people and affected 527,669 people since 18 September.
- The second wave, from 25 September, affected about 70,300 people by the 30 September tally, with six injured, no deaths and Santiago hit hardest by hail.
- A third wave from 1 October affected 14,034 people by 5 October, with no deaths, and hail hit Júlio de Castilhos hardest.
- The newest tally we could verify dates from 5 October 2026.
Key Facts
—Where. Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state and a major farming region, on the border with Uruguay and Argentina.
—First wave. A cold front on 21 and 22 September killed four people; the Civil Defence counted 527,669 people affected since 18 September.
—Second wave. Hail, rain and wind from 25 September affected about 70,300 people in 136 municipalities by 30 September; six were injured and none died.
—Third wave. Storms from 1 October affected 14,034 people by 5 October, again with no deaths.
—Worst hit. Santiago, in the western plains, where hail affected more than 26,000 people and displaced 6,000.
—Why it matters. The state is still recovering from the May 2024 floods, and storm season is only beginning.
Three Storm Waves Since 18 September
The Rio Grande do Sul storm of autumn 2026 came in three waves, and each has its own official count. The first was a cold front that swept Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná on Monday 21 September, the second began on Friday 25 September, and the third on 1 October.
The numbers below are Civil Defence tallies, which stay preliminary while councils file reports. We kept the waves apart so that no figure is counted twice.
21–22 September: Four Dead and Half a Million Affected
By Tuesday 22 September the state government confirmed four deaths, three in Caxias do Sul and one in Pelotas. Two of the dead were children aged 13 and 4, whose car was swept away by floodwaters in Caxias do Sul, and their mother, 43, was still missing that day.
The Civil Defence counted 527,669 people affected since Friday 18 September, with damage in 137 municipalities. It listed 413 people made homeless, 2,732 displaced, 1,978 houses with roofs torn off and 21 destroyed.
The city of Rio Grande put farm and infrastructure damage from the 21 September storm at more than R$1 million (about US$200,000), Correio da Manhã reported on 1 October. Our full report on the first storm has the details, including the damage in Paraná and Santa Catarina.
25–30 September: Hail Hits Santiago
For the period 25 to 30 September the Civil Defence counted 158 occurrences in 136 municipalities, 119 of them with human or material damage. About 70,300 people were affected and 6,395 displaced, and six people were injured in Pontão, Alegrete, Capão do Cipó, Garruchos and São Nicolau, with no deaths and no missing, the state government said on 30 September.
Homes took the brunt: 8,453 were damaged, 480 lost their roofs and 106 were flooded, and 45 schools and 13 health facilities were hit. Santiago was the worst-hit municipality, with more than 26,000 people affected, 6,000 displaced and about 5,000 damaged homes, and Cerro Largo had more than 13,000 people affected.
From 1 October: A Third Wave
Since 1 October the Civil Defence recorded 41 occurrences in 40 municipalities, 33 with damage, Agora RS reported on 5 October. About 14,034 people were affected and 312 displaced, with 506 homes damaged, 189 unroofed and 138 flooded, and no deaths or missing.
Hail hit Júlio de Castilhos hardest, with 9,084 people affected, followed by Santiago with 2,000, Estação with 1,092 and Alegrete with 361, where flooding left 91 people homeless.
- Southern Brazil Storms Kill Four, Cut Power 22 Sep 2026
Where the Rio Grande do Sul Storm Toll Stands
The latest official numbers we could verify are those of 22 and 30 September and 5 October, so the totals may have grown since. A final count usually comes only after councils finish their damage reports.
The state remembers May 2024, when historic floods killed more than 180 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. The autumn storms were smaller, but they showed how fast roofs and schools fail when hail and wind arrive together.
What It Means for You
Travellers to Porto Alegre or the wine highlands should expect that storms can cut power for days and close roads, and should follow the Civil Defence alerts. Readers with business in the state, from farming to wine, should treat any damage figure as preliminary, because we found no state-wide estimate of losses.
What Is Not Known
We found no state-wide estimate of economic losses, including crop damage, and no Civil Defence tally newer than 5 October. It is also not known whether the missing mother from the 22 September Caxias do Sul flood was found.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Rio Grande do Sul in September 2026?
Three storm waves hit the state. A cold front on 21 and 22 September killed four people and affected 527,669 people since 18 September, hailstorms from 25 September affected about 70,300 people, and a third wave from 1 October affected 14,034 by 5 October.
How many people were affected by the storms in Rio Grande do Sul?
The Civil Defence counted 527,669 people affected since 18 September as of 22 September, about 70,300 affected by the storms of 25 to 30 September, and 14,034 affected since 1 October as of 5 October. The waves are counted separately.
Which city was hit hardest by the hail?
Santiago, in the western plains, where hail affected more than 26,000 people and displaced 6,000, according to the state government on 30 September.
Did anyone die in the Rio Grande do Sul storms?
Four people died in the cold-front storm of 21 and 22 September. The Civil Defence recorded no deaths in the storms from 25 September to 30 September or in those from 1 October to 5 October.
Is there an estimate of the economic damage?
We found no state-wide estimate. The city of Rio Grande put farm and infrastructure damage from the 21 September storm at more than R$1 million (about US$200,000).
Sources: Rio Grande do Sul state government, Civil Defence, 22 September 2026, Rio Grande do Sul state government, Civil Defence balance, 30 September 2026, Agora RS, Civil Defence tally, 5 October 2026, Brasil de Fato, 22 September 2026, Correio da Manhã, Rio Grande seeks federal and state support, 1 October 2026
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