Brazil storm kills 5, knocks out power for 106,000

What happened during the storm in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro?

On Wednesday, July 29, powerful wind gusts reaching up to 125 km/h swept through São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states, killing at least five people, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands, and causing widespread chaos at airports and across both cities.

Who were the victims?

• A homeless man in Santos (coast of São Paulo) was struck by a falling tree on Avenida Almirante Cochrane and died at the scene. Gusts in Santos reached 111.8 km/h at 12:40 p.m.
• A driver in Cesário Lange (Sorocaba region) was killed when a tree fell on his car.
• A 50-year-old man died when his fishing boat capsized near the Cigarras neighbourhood in São Sebastião, on the northern coast of São Paulo. Four other people on board were rescued — two were in stable condition and two suffered hypothermia.
• A small-plane pilot died in a crash in a rural area of Mogi Mirim; authorities are still investigating whether the storm caused the accident.
• Two further deaths were reported in Rio de Janeiro state.

Where were the strongest gusts recorded?

Civil Defense recorded the highest speeds in Itaporanga and Itaí (124.9 km/h), followed by Taquarituba (117 km/h) and Itanhaém (103 km/h). In the greater São Paulo metropolitan area, gusts hit 75.3 km/h in the Saúde neighbourhood and 71 km/h in São Caetano do Sul. At Congonhas Airport the peak was 70.4 km/h.

How were airports and public transport affected?

At least 30 flights scheduled for Congonhas Airport were disrupted: eight arrivals and seven departures were cancelled, and 15 flights rerouted. Two flights at Guarulhos were also diverted. In Rio de Janeiro, Santos Dumont Airport was affected and the metro suspended operations.

How many homes lost power?

Energy provider Enel reported that 106,000 customers in its São Paulo concession area lost power at the storm's peak — 62,000 in the city itself. By 8:28 p.m. those numbers had fallen to 48,400 and 38,900 respectively.