Hailstorms that struck Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil over the weekend affected 9,517 people and damaged about 2,200 homes, according to a state civil-defense bulletin released Sunday afternoon. One person was injured, ten were left homeless and 20 others were displaced. No deaths or missing people were reported.
Santiago, in the state’s interior, was the hardest-hit municipality, with about 5,000 residents affected and roughly 1,000 properties damaged. On Saturday, hail fell in such volume that it covered the streets. In Alegrete, about 2,000 people were affected and 700 homes damaged; the municipality accounted for the sole reported injury and the ten people left homeless. Capão do Cipó and Catuípe reported 820 and 800 people affected, respectively.
The storm entered the state from the western border on Saturday afternoon. Hail was reported in Barra do Quaraí, while a severe storm hit Uruguaiana early that evening. Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology, weather service Climatempo and civil defense had issued instability alerts from Friday through Monday. They attributed the conditions to a low-pressure area between northern Argentina and Paraguay pushing warm, humid air into the state.
On Sunday, officials warned of large hail and gusts above 90 km/h across Campanha and the western, Missões, northwestern, northern and central regions. Heat persisted in the north, with 35°C forecast in Horizontina, while the far south was milder, including 12°C in Chuí. Unsettled weather was expected to continue Monday. Rainfall from Saturday through Monday could exceed 200 mm in Campanha and the west, with more than 170 mm possible in 24 hours.