Rio de Janeiro is facing an unprecedented heat wave

It is very hot in Brazil. The iconic city of Rio de Janeiro was unbreathable and the record for the heat felt there was broken two days in a row.

Ryo gasps. The 6.7 million people living in Brazil's second-largest city have faced a heat episode of remarkable intensity for several days, breaking several records, local officials and several Brazilian media reported. Correio da Manhã And CNN Brazil.

Saturday March 16 organization Alerta Rio, the city-run, Guaratiba weather station recorded a temperature of 60.1 at 10:20 a.m. The system's first readings in 2014 and the following day, this Sunday, the perceived temperature hit 62.3. Slightly lower values ​​have already been recorded in previous days.

“Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Hydrate!”, Rio's municipal warning system suggested on X (formerly Twitter).

“I'm really afraid it's going to get worse.”

In Rio on Sunday, thermometers soared to 42°C. Perceived temperature may be pronounced relative to actual temperature depending on humidity, wind strength, or temperature in the shade.

“We're trying to protect ourselves, we're trying to go to a more open place with the ocean,” said Raquel Correa, 49, who lives in a park in the center.

“I am very afraid that it will get worse because the population is increasing a lot and the deforestation is very significant due to the increase in the number of housing units,” he added.

Rio's iconic Ipanema and Copacabana beaches were packed with people on Sunday. Many have also taken refuge in Tijuca Park, a true green lung of the city.

Sao Paulo is also very hot

In Sao Paulo, South America's largest city of more than 12 million, twice the population of Rio, the mercury soared to 34.7 °C on Saturday, the hottest day of the year. This is the highest temperature in March since the Brazilian National Meteorological Institute (Inmet) began measuring it in 1943.

Sunday brought barely palpable relief: the thermometer dropped to 34.3ºC, leveling the previous record for March recorded in 2012.

Here again, the parks of Brazil's most populous metropolis are packed. Many began hitting the beach, causing massive traffic jams at the city gates, local media reported, with cars lining up 20 kilometers long. “Before we didn't have that kind of heat, it has changed a lot in recent times,” 40-year-old Vanúsa María Estevan complained to AFP.

Flooding in the south

In the south of Brazil, on the contrary, threatening rain. Officials have warned that heavy rains will continue this week. “South-central Brazil will be at high risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms this week,” weather information agency Metzul warned on Sunday.

“The most involved system is a very intense cold front that will bring showers and possible storms,” ​​he added.

Some places in Rio Grande do Sul state reported “exceptionally heavy” rainfall. Uruguayna, the state's worst-hit city, broadcast images of flooded streets and buses half under water. According to MetSul, up to 500 millimeters of water could fall, while in February Rio Grande do Sul state is suffocating due to the “extreme heat dome” from Argentina.

Experts attribute these extreme events and weather instability to climate change and the El Niño phenomenon that affects the southern cone of Latin America in mid-summer. The current climate has already warmed by about 1.2°C compared to 1850–1900, leading to increased episodes of droughts, floods and heat waves.