Storms cause damage in more than 140 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul

For now, there is no record of deaths or missing people. As of yesterday (22/7), the authorities in Rio Grande do Sul had 155 displaced people and 51 homeless people, in addition to one injured person. But the concern remains great, as the forecast for the next few days is for more heavy and voluminous rain, especially in the north and center of the state.

Data from the state Civil Defense indicate that several municipalities recorded a large volume of rain within a 24-hour period, such as Passo Fundo (179 mm), André da Rocha (180 mm) and Marau (192 mm). The highest volume was recorded in Paraí, in Serra Gaúcha, with more than 200 mm of accumulated precipitation. In Marcelino Ramos, in the north of the state, it rained 137 mm in just 12 hours.

The Taquari river, near Encantado, reached flood level in the early hours of Wednesday; the watercourse was at 14.29 meters in the early morning. In the same region, in the Taquari Valley, the Lajeado River also exceeded the flood level, which is 19 meters. The river reached more than 20 meters at around 7:30 am yesterday. Civil Defense sent warnings of very high risk of flooding in Vale do Taquari, valid until this Thursday morning (23/7).

The rains left a trail of destruction across part of the state. In Três Passos, the storm, accompanied by strong winds, was so intense that it tore off houses and tore off the roofs of commercial establishments. According to Brasil de Fato, Civil Defense indicates the possibility that the episode was a tornado or a microexplosion, but there is still not enough data to confirm the hypothesis.

Landslides blocked roads and streets, interrupted bridges and highways and isolated several locations. The fall of poles also caused interruptions in the supply of electricity and water in some parts of the state.

The Rio Grande do Sul Civil Defense Monitoring Center warned that the rains in the coming days could cause landslides in Porto Alegre and 18 other municipalities in the state, with a risk of a rise in the level of the Guaíba River within 24 to 72 hours. The tendency is for the lake to remain close to the alert level (at the Cais and Gasologista stations), but, so far, there is no forecast that it will reach the flood level.

The arrival of a cold front is expected to keep the weather unstable across the region. Temperatures are expected to drop today, with a maximum of 17oC in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. The rains are expected to advance to Santa Catarina and Paraná, reaching south of São Paulo, reports g1.

The impacts of the rains in RS were also reported by CartaCapital, CNN Brasil, Exame, g1, Metrópoles, SBT and UOL, among others.