MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cold wave brings snow to several Brazilian cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul

Children took to the streets to build up snowmen for the first and probably the last time of their lives

At least 13 cities in the Brazilian State of Río Grande do Sul Wednesday recorded snowfalls, a rare event for the region, but one that has come to be due to this year's harsh winter temperatures.

Snow was recorded in cities such as Pelotas, São Francisco de Paula, Gramado, Carlos Barbosa, Bagé, Herval, Piratini, Caxias do Sul, Marau and Farroupilha, it was reported.

The wave of cold air that passes through southern Brazil brought snow to at least 13 cities in Rio Grande do Sul, in addition to frozen rain.

According to Somar Meteorologia, there was snowfall in Pelotas, São Francisco de Paula, Gramado, Carlos Barbosa, Bagé, Herval, Piratini, Caxias do Sul, Marau and Farroupilha, where children took to the streets to celebrate and build up snowmen, which are very foreign to the area.

Other parts of Rio Grande do Sul were less blessed by nature and instead of snowfalls they recorded hail-like phenomena, such as “frozen rain” (when water droplets freeze when fallinf off the cloud, but melt when they touch the ground).

Snowflakes descend from clouds in a region that is quite cold and fall in a region of the atmosphere that is warm. The phenomenon was registered at least in Júlio de Castilhos, Nova Petrópolis, Itaara, Tupanciretã, Canguçu and Lavras do Sul.

In addition, according to Somar Meteorologia, there was graupel, which is a small granule of ice created when drops of super-cooled water cover a snowflake. graupel is white, opaque, soft and can easily fall apart in your hand, and it is also generally smaller than hail, with a diameter of about 0.2cm to 0.5cm.

The weather forecast for Thursday does not rule out further snowing as increasingly cold temperatures mix with humid air from the ocean, which favors the formation of heavy clouds.

Frost is also forecast for several cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, althought not for coastal areas which will nonetheless have a lot of cloudiness throughout the day and slightly higher temperatures.