Brazil: Rare snowfall threatens several crops; residents call it 'coldest day of year'

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. According to Marco Antonio dos Santos, a partner at weather consultancy firm Rural Clima, July 30 was the coldest day of the year in Brazil. In Brazil, the temperature started falling down on Thursday and the snowfall threatened coffee, sugarcane, and orange crops with frosts.

On Thursday, dos Santos said the south of Goiás and the south of Mato Grosso do Sul, the states where farmers grow crops like corn, would face cold temperatures on Friday as the airwaves have moved northwards from Southern Brazil. As the temperature fell below zero, the local television images showed people playing in the snow in the town of Sao Francisco de Paula.

What caused snowfall in Brazil?

According to Weather Specialist 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. According to several reports, 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. 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. 

As the cold freezing winds and snow clutched the region, people could not believe what 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 the sea level. Weather services recorded an unusual 80 kilometers 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. Take a look at the videos of snowfall in Brazil,

(IMAGE: Twitter/@eurenesilva)