An extratropical cyclone hit São Paulo on Wednesday (10/12), causing winds over 90 km/h, flight cancellations, and power outages affecting more than 2 million properties. The event also led to fallen trees, park closures, and cancellation of Christmas events. Passengers and residents faced disruptions at airports and streets in the capital.
The extratropical cyclone, formed in southern Brazil, drew warm, moist air from the North and Center-West, generating rain, heavy clouds, and storms in São Paulo, as explained by meteorologist Willian Minhoto from Civil Defense. The system's edge, linked to a cold front, caused temperature drops, cloudiness, and moderate to strong winds, with gusts over 90 km/h.
At Congonhas Airport, at least 121 flights were canceled — 50 arrivals and 71 departures — due to airline decisions, air traffic control, and schedule adjustments, according to concessionaire Aena. Passengers reported lack of information: “My flight isn't on the board, it's not saying it's canceled, we've been in line for a long time and there's only one company person to handle everything,” said Juliana Portas, 44, a speech therapist. Driver Alberto Santana, 65, described landing difficulties: “When we were descending, it had to go up, do everything again to land. So much wind.”
The cyclone also caused blackouts in 2.2 million properties in Enel São Paulo's concession area. The city hall notified Aneel and Enel, questioning vehicles parked in the garage while the population endured long outages. Enel stated it mobilized over 1,500 teams and vehicles, preparing them for shift changes. Firefighters handled more than 500 calls for fallen trees, blocking streets, cars, and buses.
In Brasília, 15 flights were canceled and 8 delayed until 7 p.m. at JK Airport, managed by Inframerica. A Latam plane took off for Congonhas but returned; two others diverted to the federal capital for safety. The wind knocked down the Santa Claus structure on Avenida Paulista and led to the closure of 12 municipal parks and seven state parks, such as Villa-Lobos and Água Branca. Christmas events at Largo São Bento and Praça da Sé were canceled. Water supply was partially affected in districts like Morumbi and Vila Mariana, and in Greater São Paulo municipalities like Santo André.
