Cyclone in RS causes flooding, lack of light, roadblocks and flight cancellations

An extratropical cyclone that hit the south coast of Pau-Brasil on Thursday (15) brought storms and winds to the state of Rio Grande do Sul early this Friday (16). Several cities across the state have experienced flooding, roadblocks, flight cancellations and power outages. Civil protection and firefighters registered one death and two cases of disappearance. The mayor of Porto Contente, Sebastião Melo (MDB), advised city residents to stay in their homes.

_{Extratropical cyclone hits Rio Grande do Sul and causes flooding, road blocks, among other inconveniences (Photo: Reproduction/UOL)}

No injuries or deaths were reported as of the last update of this report. However, a man disappeared in São Leopoldo, in Porto Alegre, after the car he was in was dragged by a stream during the night. On the night of this past Thursday (15), the cyclone caused landslides in Santa Catarina, in the cities of Praia Grande, Joinville, and São Francisco do Sul.

According to Climatempo, an extratropical cyclone occurs in an area of ​​low atmospheric pressure and is composed of large temperature variations, which is what the gauchos have been experiencing in recent days. Meteorologist Josélia Pegorim explains that the winds rotate in a complete circle, clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and that their formation process, close to the continent, can cause many direct hours of rain. Its large accumulations can generate floods, soil soaking and landslides.

Wind gusts of 100 km/h were recorded in Tramandaí, on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. In São Leopoldo, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, the accumulated precipitation reached 200 millimeters in the last 24 hours. The Civil Defense of RS released an alert for the areas of Serra, North Coast and Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre. The rivers Caí, Paranhana and Sinos have the possibility of flooding.

According to Rio Grande Energia (RGE) and Companhia Estadual de Energia Elétrica (CEEE), concessionaires responsible for supplying energy in RS, at least 460,000 points are without electricity in the state.

Featured photo: Extratropical cyclone hits Rio Grande do Sul and causes several disorders. Reproduction/GZH