Brazil's South region faced temperatures below zero in several cities on Wednesday, with intense cold expected until Saturday. In the Southeast and Midwest, rainfall volume in the first half of June exceeded the month's historical average.
In the early hours of Wednesday, 44 cities in Santa Catarina recorded temperatures below 0°C. In Paraná, Palmas marked -2.9°C, while São José dos Ausentes in Rio Grande do Sul reached -2.8°C. Schools were closed in the Santa Catarina highlands due to a Civil Defense alert.
The polar cold is expected to remain intense until Saturday, 27, bringing risks of hypothermia and ice formation on high-altitude roads. Farmers and animal breeders were advised to take precautions.
In the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, high humidity and persistent cloudiness increased the feeling of cold, atypical conditions for June. According to Climatempo, accumulated rainfall in the first half of the month already exceeded the monthly average across the Southeast and Midwest, with frost forecast in Mato Grosso do Sul and a minimum of 6°C.
