Brazil records its hottest temperature ever

A firefighter cools off people in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, with a hose. Photo: Fred Cardoso/Shutterstock

The small city of Araçuaí, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, recorded Brazil’s hottest temperature ever on Sunday, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet). Thermometers in the city reached 44.8ºC (112.6ºF), breaking a previous record set in 2005 in the city of Bom Jesus, in the northeastern state of Piauí.

Araçuaí, situated in the northern part of Minas Gerais, has around 34,000 residents, as per the latest census.

According to extreme weather researcher Maximiliano Herrera, multiple locations in Brazil recorded all-time high temperatures in November.

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Mr. Herrera noted that in Rio de Janeiro’s suburbs, the heat index (also known as the apparent temperature) climbed as high as 58.5°C (137°F), which he said is “arguably the highest/near the highest in South America’s climatic history” and in all the Americas. Over the weekend, Taylor Swift postponed one of her Rio concerts due to the “extreme temperatures in Rio.”

According to Inmet, Brazil has had eight heat waves this year, with the top temperature in each wave varying between regions. Two heat waves were recorded in October, with top temperatures in Piauí and the center-western state of Goiás.

One heat wave in September turned Amazon states into a smoke belt. In the following month, the Negro River, one of the most important rivers for passenger and cargo transportation in the Amazon, reached its lowest level on record.

“During the last five days, maximum temperature values above 36°C were observed in a large part of the center and north of the country, with extreme maximum temperature values that exceeded 41°C in areas of the Center-West and Southeast, which occurred mainly on November 19,” says an Inmet bulletin published on Monday.

Over the next few days, Innmet expects maximum temperatures above 34°C “in much of the country.” Thermometers will top the 36°C mark in areas of the Southeast, North and Northeast regions. “During the week, milder temperatures are expected in the center-south of the country due to the persistence of rainy days.”