Newsletters
Usually bathed in sunshine, Rio de Janeiro is enduring its rainiest September ever measured as the powerful El Nino climate pattern raises fears of widespread damage across Brazil.
Normally packed with tourists, locals and street sellers, Rio's iconic beaches have seen days of nonstop rain and gray clouds, with only a handful of die-hard visitors braving the seaside promenade with ponchos and umbrellas.
"We're looking for museums ... that's our only option. And drinking coffee all along the way in Copacabana and Ipanema," Flo van Raalte, a 23-year-old Dutch tourist, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
City officials said the Alerta Rio system recorded the highest volume of rainfall in September since 1997, when measurements began.
Experts attribute the exceptional rainfall, felt in other southeastern cities too, to a mix of climate factors, including El Nino, which this year could become one of the strongest ever recorded.
Meteorologist Estael Sias told AFP that cold air masses from Antarctica are hitting some Brazilian states as well. "El Nino has fostered these extreme episodes" and serves as the backdrop for the rainfall, the expert told AFP.
Last week, the National Institute of Meteorology recorded exceptional weather events in some regions of Brazil, including lightning strikes, strong winds, tornadoes, and hail.
The agency also reported record September rainfall for Sao Paulo, worsening gridlock in the biggest city in Latin America.
Sao Paulo saleswoman Tamires Marina, 33, said the weather "is horrible. It hasn't stopped raining a single day. All of September was just rain and more rain. I've never experienced anything like this."
Set as preferred source
3 min read
