RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Heavy rains are expected this turn of the year in the Southeast region of Brazil. The humid corridor that caused excessive rainfall in Tocantins and Bahia, where 20 people died in floods, is heading to Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, according to specialized news agency Metsul.com.
Weather models that forecast the floods in the Northeast and North of Brazil now project “a substantial increase in rainfall in the Southeast region, with higher volumes concentrated in Minas Gerais,” it states.
The capital Belo Horizonte is expected to be the most affected, but flooding is also expected in Rio and São Paulo.
In some locations, the rainfall volume may reach 500 mm in 15 days. In Brasília, it should rain 9 mm in the coming 24 hours, according to the National Institute of Meteorology, classified as “heavy rains.”
Heavy rain is expected in short periods of time, which may cause flooding and landslides. This concerns meteorologists, since especially in Minas and Rio, there is a large number of people in risk areas – near rivers and hillsides.
In the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, for instance, landslides and collapsing houses are recurrent in the summer.
However, floods are also expected in the state of São Paulo, caused by rivers overflowing.