Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
Inmet issued a storm danger alert for 363 municipalities in RS and SC this Thursday (23), with winds up to 100 km/h, rainfall up to 100 mm, and hail, bringing risk of power outages, crop destruction, fallen trees, and floods.
Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology) issued an orange storm danger alert for 363 municipalities in Southern Brazil, valid throughout Thursday (23), with forecasts of severe conditions including winds between 60 km/h and 100 km/h, precipitation of 50 mm to 100 mm throughout the day, and the possibility of hail. The areas affected by Inmet’s warning cover the northwest, northeast, and central regions of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as western Santa Catarina, regions where the storm can cause damage to crops, power outages, fallen trees, and urban and rural flooding. The alert advises the population to avoid taking shelter under trees, not to park vehicles near transmission towers, and, if possible, to unplug electrical appliances and the main power panel in homes.
The severity level classified as “danger” indicates that the phenomena predicted by Inmet have the potential to cause significant damage to infrastructure and people’s lives. The institute’s guidance is for residents of the 363 affected cities to contact Civil Defense by phone at 199 or the Fire Department at 193 in case of emergency. The predicted rainfall volume, up to 100 mm in 24 hours, is equivalent to pouring 100 liters of water per square meter of surface, an amount that can saturate the soil in a few hours and cause landslides in hillside areas.
Which Southern regions are under Inmet’s danger alert
Inmet’s map identifies six mesoregions within the alert’s coverage area. In Rio Grande do Sul, the affected areas are the Northwest Rio-grandense, the West Central Rio-grandense, the Southwest Rio-grandense, the Northeast Rio-grandense, and the East Central Rio-grandense, covering hundreds of municipalities ranging from the border with Argentina to areas near the Gaúcha mountains. In Santa Catarina, the region under Inmet’s alert is the West Catarinense, an area that concentrates agricultural and agro-industrial municipalities particularly vulnerable to storms with hail.
-
In Paraíba, researchers found on the sertão ground the largest carnivorous dinosaur footprint ever recorded in Brazil — the predator was 6 meters long and stepped there 140 million years ago.
-
In just 12 months, the world installed so much solar and wind energy that it alone would replace one-seventh of all natural gas burned on the planet — it was 814 GW, a new absolute record…
-
In the middle of Texas, a $44 billion factory is almost ready to produce the planet’s smallest 2-nanometer chips, create 20,000 jobs, and become the largest greenfield foreign investment in U.S. history.
-
Observed only once in the entire history of astronomy, the alignment of four planets in the Kepler-89 system was predicted to happen again in April 2026, but no telescope was pointed to record the phenomenon.
The geographical extent of the warning is an indicator of the scale of the expected meteorological system. When Inmet includes 363 municipalities in a single alert, the phenomenon is not localized: it is a broad front that will traverse a good part of the interior of both states throughout the day. Residents of cities like Chapecó, Ijuí, Santa Rosa, Erechim, and dozens of other municipalities on the complete list published by the institute should prepare for adverse conditions that may extend from dawn to late Thursday night.
What winds up to 100 km/h can cause in Southern cities
Gusts at this speed are capable of tearing off thick branches, felling entire trees, launching loose objects like roof tiles and advertising signs, and breaking power lines. Inmet specifically warns of the risk of power outages, a problem that in previous storms in Southern Brazil left entire cities without electricity for days, compromising food refrigeration, hospital operations, and water pumping systems. In rural areas, damage extends to greenhouses, animal shelters, and grain drying structures not designed to withstand winds of this magnitude.
The hail predicted by Inmet adds a layer of risk that particularly affects agriculture. Falling hailstones on soybean, corn, wheat, and fruit crops can destroy an entire harvest in minutes, a loss that for small producers means months of lost income. The region affected by the alert concentrates a significant portion of Southern Brazil’s agricultural production, and hailstorms during the crop development phase have an impact that extends far beyond the day of the storm.
How to protect yourself during the storm predicted by Inmet
Inmet’s guidelines are direct and should be followed before conditions deteriorate. In case of wind gusts, the recommendation is not to seek shelter under trees, as the combination of strong wind with waterlogged soil drastically increases the risk of falling, and to keep a distance from transmission towers and billboards that may collapse or release metallic parts. Vehicles should not be parked in wooded areas or near elevated structures during the storm.
Inside residences, Inmet recommends unplugging electronic devices and, if the intensity of the storm increases, deactivating the main power panel to avoid damage from overload when the grid is reestablished. Residents of flood-prone areas should have a pre-defined evacuation plan and keep documents and medications in an easily accessible location in case they need to leave home quickly. Emergency channels are Civil Defense (199) and the Fire Department (193), and the guidance is to call at the first sign of risk, not to wait for the situation to worsen before seeking help.
What Inmet’s alert indicates about the weather pattern in Southern Brazil
Danger alerts of the magnitude that Inmet issued for this Thursday have become more frequent in recent years. The Southern region has recorded storms with winds above 80 km/h and hail on several recent occasions, a pattern that experts associate with the intensification of thermal contrasts between warm air masses coming from the north and cold fronts advancing along the coast, a dynamic that produces severe instability when the two meet over the interior of RS and SC.
For the 363 municipalities included in Inmet’s alert, the message is one of immediate preparation. Those who can postpone road trips through the interior of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina on Thursday should do so, and those who need to remain in the area should ensure that cell phones are charged, flashlights are available, and water reservoirs are stocked in case of a prolonged power outage. Storms pass, but the damage that 100 km/h winds and hail leave behind can take weeks to repair.
And you, do you live in one of the 363 municipalities included in Inmet’s alert? Have you prepared for the storm? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Seja o primeiro a reagir!