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Thermometers record simultaneous extremes of cold and heat at the end of April with lows of minus 0.7°C in Soledade (RS) in the South and highs of up to 37°C on the border between Mato Grosso and Goiás in the Center, a contrast caused by a polar air mass and a warm air mass coexisting with no relief expected for May.
Brazil is split in half by thermometers at the end of April, with the South freezing under a cold air mass that brought temperatures below zero for the second consecutive day, while the Midwest and Southeast bake under intense heat pushing thermometers close to 37°C. Data from the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) show that this Wednesday (29) maximums in the Midwest reached 35.9°C in Nova Xavantina (MT), 35.4°C in Aragarças (GO), and 35.2°C in Paranaíba (MS), while in the Southeast thermometers reached 34.6°C in Valparaíso (SP), 34.2°C in Seropédica (RJ), 34.0°C in Ituiutaba (MG), and 33.9°C in Alegre (ES). In the opposite direction, Rio Grande do Sul recorded lows of minus 0.7°C in Soledade, minus 0.2°C in Pinheiro Machado, 1.1°C in Bagé, and 1.5°C in Herval, temperatures that forced residents to light fireplaces while inhabitants of the country’s Center turned on fans and air conditioning.
The forecast for the last day of April and the turn of the month indicates that thermometers will not converge. Rio Grande do Sul is expected to have a cold morning in several regions, although with slightly higher lows than on Wednesday, while in the Midwest, the heat continues and will be more intense in northern Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, and Goiás, where cities on the border between the two states may reach temperatures between 35°C and 37°C. Brazil will continue to experience two climates simultaneously, and neither side will receive significant relief in the coming days.
What thermometers recorded in Southern Brazil this Wednesday
The cold affecting the South is a result of the polar air mass that advanced over the region and had already caused negative temperatures and frost on Tuesday. In Rio Grande do Sul, thermometers recorded lows of minus 0.7°C in Soledade, minus 0.2°C in Pinheiro Machado, 1.1°C in Bagé, 1.5°C in Herval, 1.7°C in Canela, 2.3°C in Gramado Xavier, 2.6°C in Livramento, 2.9°C in São Francisco de Paula, and 3.2°C in Jacuizinho, values that maintain the feeling of an early winter in the middle of autumn. In Porto Alegre, the Secretariat of Agriculture station in Lami recorded 4.9°C, while Inmet stations marked 7.1°C in Belém Novo and 9.9°C in Jardim Botânico, a difference that reflects the influence of proximity to rural areas and bodies of water on thermometer variations within the same city.
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The metropolitan region of the Gaucho capital also felt the cold intensely. Thermometers showed 4.7°C in Gravataí, 4.8°C in Eldorado do Sul, 5.1°C in Viamão, 5.9°C in Cachoeirinha, 7.0°C in Campo Bom, 7.7°C in Sapucaia do Sul, 7.9°C in Nova Santa Rita, and 8.4°C in São Leopoldo, values that turned Wednesday morning into a typical winter experience for those who had to leave home early. In Santa Catarina, the day was milder than the previous one because cloud cover and instability prevented thermometers from dropping as much as on Tuesday, when São Joaquim recorded minus 3.3°C.
What thermometers recorded in Central and Southeastern Brazil
At the other extreme of the country, thermometers tell a completely different story. The Midwest is experiencing a week of strong to intense heat with maximums exceeding 35°C in multiple cities, a condition caused by a warm air mass stalled over the region that maintains high temperatures during the day and prevents significant drops at night. Nova Xavantina (MT) recorded 35.9°C, Aragarças (GO) marked 35.4°C, and Paranaíba (MS) reached 35.2°C, values that are abnormally high for this time of year and reflect a warming pattern for which the meteorological forecast indicates no immediate cooling.
The Southeast is not far behind in the heat captured by thermometers. Valparaíso (SP) reached 34.6°C, Ituiutaba (MG) recorded 34.0°C, Seropédica (RJ) reached 34.2°C, and Alegre (ES) marked 33.9°C, demonstrating that the heat covers all four states in the region and is not restricted to isolated inland points. In the Southeast, the most intense maximums are concentrated from central to northern São Paulo with values between 33°C and 34°C, and in the Triângulo Mineiro where the heat persists more sharply, while capitals like Rio de Janeiro maintain uncomfortable temperatures that proximity to the coast cannot sufficiently alleviate.
Why Brazil can have almost 38 degrees of difference between regions at the same time
The coexistence of sub-zero thermometers in the South and close to 37°C in the Central region is explained by the continental extension of Brazilian territory. Brazil occupies a latitude band that goes from the equator to beyond the Tropic of Capricorn, an amplitude that allows completely distinct meteorological systems to act simultaneously over different regions: while the polar mass advances through the South bringing cold air of Antarctic origin, the warm air mass that dominates the Central part of the country is not affected because the two systems coexist without canceling each other out. The transition between them occurs in a relatively narrow band that currently cuts through Paraná, a state that registered instability with a lot of rain and low maximums in most cities, except in the North where it was still hot.
Autumn is the season when these contrasts in thermometers reach their greatest intensity. Spring and summer concentrate heat across almost the entire country, and winter spreads cold beyond the South, but in autumn the dispute between warm and cold air masses produces simultaneous extreme scenarios that make Brazilians in Porto Alegre wear heavy coats while those in Cuiabá seek shade to escape the suffocating heat. The turn from April to May does not promise a change in this pattern: thermometers in the South remain low in the early mornings and those in the Central region remain high in the afternoons.
What to expect from thermometers at the turn of April to May
The last day of April maintains the divided pattern, with specific adjustments. In Rio Grande do Sul, thermometers should register slightly higher minimums than on Wednesday, but the dawn remains cold in several regions, especially in the Serra, Campanha, and Fronteira Oeste. Santa Catarina and Paraná will have a pleasant day in most cities, with mild temperatures that reproduce neither the extreme cold of the South nor the heat of the Central region, with the exception of northern Paraná which remains hot.
In the Central-West and Southeast, thermometers do not recede. The heat will be more intense on the border between Mato Grosso and Goiás, where temperatures between 35°C and 37°C are expected, and in the interior of São Paulo where maximums from Central to Northern São Paulo should be between 33°C and 34°C. Minas Gerais maintains strong heat in the Triângulo Mineiro, and Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo continue with high temperatures. Brazil enters May with thermometers telling two opposite stories, and those who live in the South put away coats while those who live in the Central region look for air conditioning.
And you, are you in the cold South or the hot Central region? Which extreme are you facing at the end of April? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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