Heavy Rain and New Strong Winds on the Day that Marks the Beginning of Spring

Rain marks this Monday, the beginning of spring (read about spring here), with a cold front advancing through the South of Brazil throughout the day, bringing rain to most areas of the region’s three states and localized severe storms with strong winds. In Rio Grande do Sul, the advance of a cold air mass intensifies instability in parts of the state when it meets warm, humid air. Therefore, the day starts with rain in most regions of Rio Grande do Sul. In the North and Northeast of the state, in areas like Alto Uruguai, Planalto Médio, Alto Jacuí, Greater Porto Alegre, Vales, Serra, and Litoral Norte, there is a high risk of heavy to intense rain during the first half of the day. Between the afternoon and evening of this Monday, the weather gradually improves with the advance of dry and cold high-pressure air, ensuring that almost the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul ends the day with clear weather. The day that marks the beginning of spring is mild and pleasant, but with the arrival of cold air, temperatures will be lower at night, when today’s minimums occur. Already in the early hours of this morning, the cold air brought temperatures of 10ºC to 13ºC in the West and South of Rio Grande do Sul. Over the next few hours, the cold air advances to the other regions. In Santa Catarina and Paraná, with the cold front, rain is widespread this Monday and heavy to intense in many areas. There are also isolated severe storms with strong winds and hail, especially in Paraná. In fact, the end of Sunday and the first hours of this Monday already had gusty winds with gusts measured at 101 km/h in Marechal Cândido Rondon (PR), 82 km/h in Urupema (SC), 79 km/h in Xanxerê (SC), 75 km/h in Campos Novos (SC), and 72 km/h in Novas Tebas (PR).