Severe Weather in South America

[MetSul Weather Center]

Dear Friends

Weather is always busy in this portion of the world and largely ignored worldwide. Just a few days ago we had a tornado outbreak in Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe provinces in northern Argentina. See photos and video of this event in the link below.

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=410

Two weeks earlier an incredible hail storm (giant hail in some areas) affected one of the largest cities in Argentina. Damage was widespread in Rosario (one million inhabitants). Thousands and thousands of cars were damaged. One person died and one hundred got injured by the ice. Check some fantastic photos and radar sequence of the storm:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=373

On September we had snow and thundersnow in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, capital of the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. In the following link you can see the photos of the snow event that affected both higher areas and cities near seal level. One astonishing detail is the temperature in the moment the snow started to fell in the Porto Alegre area. It was 53 F.

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=243

Snowstorms similar to the huge record-breaking event of last week in the Midwest were verified in South Brazil in a few times in the last decades. The snowstorm of 1965 was huge:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=208

Regarding cyclonic activity, a powerful extratropical cyclone in the South Atlantic on September 2nd. 2006 brought 120 km/h wind to the eastern areas of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Storm surge in the shore was the worst in a decade and beach erosion resulted in damage in the coastal areas. In the beaches some waves topped 15 feet. Photos and video of this event.

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=245

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=239

As we get severe weather events over this part of the world we will be posting on this topic.

Regards from Southern Brazil

[Aquawind]

One astonishing detail is the temperature in the moment the snow started to fell in the Porto Alegre area. It was 53 F.

That is exceptionaly warm for snow.. I have heard and seen it snow in the 40's but 50's is approaching crazy talk..

[MetSul Weather Center]

One astonishing detail is the temperature in the moment the snow started to fell in the Porto Alegre area. It was 53 F.

That is exceptionaly warm for snow.. I have heard and seen it snow in the 40's but 50's is approaching crazy talk..

It was 50F and we had thudersnow. There was convection (Cb and TCu clouds) in the area. It is hard to believe. Thera some local researchers preparing a paper on this episode.

[Aslkahuna]

Snow was reported once in Okinawa with tempertures in the low 50's.

Steve

[whereverwx]

I never knew it could snow at temperatures that high. What is the highest temperature that snow has occurred?

[MetSul Weather Center]

NOAA's HPC in his daily statement warns about tornadoes in central South America in the next 72 hours:

BY 48 HRS THE TROUGH WILL MOVE ALONG 60W AND SOUTH OF 35S...TO CONTINUE ALONG 40W BY 72 HRS. THE ASSOCIATED POLAR FRONT IS TO PUSH EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN/CENTRAL CHILE THROUGH 30-36 HRS...THEN RACE NORTH ACROSS LA PAMPA/BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE BY 42-48 HRS...MEANWHILE TRIGGERING A SQUALL LINE. BY 72-120 HRS THE FRONT WILL LIE QUASISTATIONARY ACROSS SOUTHERN BRASIL/NORTHERN URUGUAY-CORDOBA TO NORTHERN MENDOZA IN ARGENTINA. OVER ARGENTINA EXPECT DEW POINT TEMPERATURES OF 22C-24C AHEAD OF THE ADVANCING POLAR
FRONT. FURTHERMORE...THE UPPER FLOW PATTERN (400 HPA) WILL
BISECT THE CENTRAL ANDES OF CHILE AT A NEARLY PERPENDICULAR
ANGLE...WHILE THE LOW LEVEL FLOW (850 HPA) WILL MAINTAIN A
NORTHERLY COMPONENT ACROSS NORTHERN/CENTRAL ARGENTINA...
RESULTING IN VERTICAL WIND SHEAR AND FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR SEVERE STORM FORMATION. THE SWEAT INDEX SHOWS POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES OVER BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE AND WESTWARD TO SAN LUIS/CORDOBA BY 42-48 HRS. ALSO EXPECT HEAVY RAINFALL WITH THE POLAR FRONT...WITH MAXIMA OF 20-40MM OVER JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLAND AND 25-50MM OVER CHILE SOUTH OF CONCEPCION (RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED)...WHILE OVER ARGENTINA EXPECT MAXIMA OF
30-60MM ACROSS LA PAMPA/CENTRAL ARGENTINA THROUGH 36 HRS. EXPECT MAXIMA OF 75-125MM ACROSS BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE-URUGUAY-CENTRAL ARGENTINA BY 48-60 HRS. AS THE FRONT STALL OVER SOUTHERN BRASIL-CHACO ARGENTINO/CORDOBA-SOUTHERN PARAGUAY...MCS/MCC WILL FORM ALONG THE FRONT WITH MAXIMA OF 40-80MM BY 84 HRS AND 35-70MM BY 108 HRS.

[MetSul Weather Center]

Since Sunday (December 18th) a severe weather outbreak with tornadoes left 16 people dead in the Southern Cone of South America. The death toll so far is 13 in Argentina, 2 in Uruguay and 1 in Brazil.

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in Argentina and Uruguay:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=433

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=440

Severe thunderstorms in Southen Brazil:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=441

Tornado in Southern Brazil:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=436

[MetSul Weather Center]

Severe flooding in Argentina's Tucuman Province on January 10:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=489

Storm with 75 mph wind in Rosario - Argentina on January 10:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=484

5 inches of rain in Porto Alegre (Brazil) in just two hours:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza. ... _texto=471

Dam collapses in Brazil after extreme rainfall:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/ ... cident.php

Flooding and landslides leave 50 dead in Central Brazil:

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db9 ... enDocument

[MetSul Weather Center]

A tornado leveled a small village in northern Argentina Friday night (Jauneau 26th). Local residents described an intense sound that lasted around a minute. Damage was reported in a 500 meter (180 feet aprox.) wide area that extended for 4 kilometers (2 miles aprox.) in small village of Asco in the Province of Santiago del Estero. No one died but damages mounted to properties in this very impoverished region of northern Argentina.

Some pictures available at our Tornado World blog:

http://www.metsul.com/blog/?cod_blog=3

Local news report (in Spanish):

http://www.cadena3.com.ar/noticias_ampliada.asp?mas=90242

Last December another tornado brought damage to Santiago del Estero. Pictures and video (Portuguese and Spanish) available at:

http://www.metsul.com/secoes/visualiza.php?cod_subsecao=28&cod_texto=410

Santiago del Estero is located in the South America's Tornado Alley.

Alexandre

[MetSul Weather Center]

A funnel cloud was observed over the city of Franca (central state of Sao Paulo in Brazil) last Saturday (February 3). The picture was taken by Tiago Brandao of Comercio da Franca newspaper.