MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Subzero temperatures recorded in southern Brazil

The weather is expected to remain unusually cold in the coming days

Areas in southern Brazil recorded subzero temperatures Sunday as a strong and broad mass of polar air hit the States of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, Agencia Brasil reported citing data from the National Meteorological Institute (Inmet) as well as from Epagri/Ciram, an agency of the Santa Catarina state government.

In Urupema, in the Serra Catarinense region, the minus temperature reached -7.2 degrees Celsius (°C), the lowest of the year in the state. The cities of São Joaquim (-6.7°C), Urubici (-5.7°C), Painel (-4°C) and Bocaina do Sul (-3.2°C) also recorded negative temperatures.

In São José dos Ausentes, in Rio Grande do Sul, the thermometers registered -4°C. In Gramado, a tourist town in the Serra Gaúcha, the temperature was 0°. In Porto Alegre, the thermometers registered 5°C.

In Curitiba, the temperature was 2°C. In Foz do Iguaçu, located in the Triple Frontier region, the thermometers reached 5°C.

According to the weather bureaus, the intensification and change in wind direction were likely to bring on additional cold in the coming days.

Meanwhile, low temperatures and a drizzle in the Pantanal region this weekend helped firefighters tackle the ignited wetland shared by Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, it was reported.

The fire, attributed to a combination of “human action”, a severe drought caused by climate change and illegal deforestation, has multiplied in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and this week the smoke and ashes reached Corumbá, the regional capital.