Brazil gets ‘rare’ snowfall, freezing temperature surprises the residents

Brazilians on Friday were shocked to witness the first-ever snowfall of their lifetime as they also braced themselves for the coldest day of the year. In unusual weather, several of Latin American country’s southern regions saw it snowing for the first time. At least 40 cities in the Rio Grande do Sul reported thick ice, while 33 others witnessed heavy snowfall reaching up to a meter high in some places, according to several reports. 

Excited residents circulated the images of the snowfall, which depicted many cheering and making a snowman for the first time ever. However, for the weather experts, the situation turned to a worry as they decried the climate change, similarly for the farmers the snow proved to be a detriment in the region as the essential export crops like coffee, sugar cane and oranges were in danger of destruction owing to the thick frost. In the areas of Rio, Jeniffer Faria da Silva, and Marlon Lemos Mollulo, authorities distributed comforting amenities such as blankets and quilts to the homeless who have never been accustomed to such weather. Temperatures in Rio dropped to an alarming low of 9°C. 

What caused snowfall in Brazil?

According to weather specialists Somar Meteorologia, Brazil’s southern region of Rio Grande do Sul witnessed the polar air suddenly pushed towards the region, which dipped the temperatures to subzero. As the cold, freezing winds and snow clutched the region people could not believe that it was happening. The fluctuation in the meteorological conditions was more apparent in areas that are approximately 900 and 1,900 meters (2,900 and 6,200 feet) above sea level.

"I am 62 years old and had never seen the snow," trucker Iodor Goncalves Marques of Cambara do Sul told Brazil’s TV Globo channel as snow blanketed the roads and the parked cars across the southern cities.

Weather services recorded an unusual 80 kilometres per hour (49 miles per hour) winds during the snowfall in Goias and Mato Grosso do Sul areas, which they reportedly called a “rare occurrence”. In rural areas of major sugar, citrus, and coffee farms, such as Minas Gerais, agricultural sector workers, and farmers lamented that the valuable crops were spoilt. Though in the footage shot in the streets of Gramado, people were enchanted by the mesmeric sight having never seen snowfall before.