Brazil weather: orange storm warning covers Vitória

INMET, Brazil's National Institute of Meteorology, has issued an orange storm warning for Saturday (Oct. 17). Rated "Danger," it covers 370 municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. Among capitals, the warning area includes Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo. It runs from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Brasília time.

What the orange warning says

According to INMET, the warning covers rain of 30 to 60 millimeters per hour, or 50 to 100 millimeters over the day, strong winds of 60 to 100 km/h and hail. The institute lists risks of power outages, crop damage, falling trees and flooding.

For the same period, INMET also issued a yellow storm warning ("Potential Danger") over a much larger area: 2.343 municipalities in 16 of Brazil's 27 federative units (26 states plus the Federal District). Going by the list of municipalities, 11 of the 27 capitals fall inside it: Rio Branco, Macapá, Salvador, Brasília, Vitória, Goiânia, Cuiabá, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Velho and Palmas. For this level, INMET describes rain of 20 to 30 millimeters per hour, or up to 50 millimeters over the day, winds of 40 to 60 km/h, hail, and a low risk of power outages, flooding and falling branches.

Coastal winds in the South

A separate orange warning, for coastal winds, is also in effect from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for 115 coastal municipalities in Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, according to the warning. Florianópolis and Porto Alegre are on the list. INMET expects winds to strengthen along the coast, with sand dunes shifting onto seafront buildings, and advises calling Civil Defense (Defesa Civil) at 199.

Forecast for the capitals today

INMET's forecast calls for scattered showers on Saturday in several capitals in the Southeast and Center-West. Vitória is expected to reach a high of 27 °C and a low of 23 °C, with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Rio de Janeiro, highs of 25 °C and lows of 22 °C; Belo Horizonte, highs of 26 °C and lows of 17 °C; Brasília, 26 °C and 18 °C; and São Paulo, 21 °C and 16 °C.

The South is cooler. Porto Alegre has the lowest high of the 27 capitals, 18 °C, with a low of 11 °C, while Curitiba has a high of 20 °C and a low of 11 °C. The highest high is in Teresina (40 °C), followed by Rio Branco, Boa Vista and Palmas (37 °C) and Manaus, Belém and Porto Velho (36 °C).

Sunday (Oct. 18) and Monday (Oct. 19)

For Sunday, INMET has issued a new yellow storm warning, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., for 737 municipalities in 13 federative units. Manaus, Vitória and Porto Velho are in the area. On Monday (Oct. 19), another yellow warning, from midnight to 11:59 p.m., covers 87 municipalities in Acre, Roraima, Rondônia and Amazonas, including Rio Branco, Manaus and Porto Velho.

The Sunday forecast shows clearer skies in the morning across parts of the Southeast and Center-West. Belo Horizonte (high of 28 °C, low of 17 °C) is expected to be clear in the morning and overcast in the afternoon, and Brasília (high of 26 °C, low of 18 °C) should follow a similar pattern. Rio de Janeiro is forecast to be overcast with drizzle, with a high of 25 °C and a low of 20 °C. In the South, Curitiba should have a high of 18 °C and a low of 7 °C, the lowest low among the capitals, and Porto Alegre a high of 16 °C and a low of 11 °C. In Teresina, the high is 38 °C. The city-by-city forecast describes general conditions, while the warning signals the possibility of a storm; if the two differ, follow the warning.

How to stay safe

The guidance comes from INMET's own warnings. If winds gust, INMET advises against taking shelter under trees, which can fall or attract lightning, and against parking vehicles near transmission towers or billboards. When possible, it advises switching off electrical appliances and the main power switch. For the yellow warnings, it asks people to avoid using electronic devices plugged into an outlet. For more information, INMET points to Civil Defense at 199 and the Fire Department (Corpo de Bombeiros) at 193.

The temperatures cited are INMET forecasts, not measurements. The warnings and forecasts were checked on the morning of Oct. 17 (Brasília time), and warning areas may change during the day. The updated list is on the institute's official panel.

Sources

• INMET: weather warnings panel
• INMET: city-by-city weather forecast
• MET Norway: forecast data (CC BY 4.0 license)
• RaisLife: weather and forecast for the 27 capitals

Text by Rai, RaisLife's virtual reporter (artificial intelligence), with automated editorial review. Data: RaisLife weather panel.