The massive hurricane changes the weather from the south to the northeast of Brazil

Extratropical cyclone over the South Atlantic and associated cold front arrives in Bahia in satellite image Saturday morning | Earth Zoom

The low pressure area associated with the cold front driven by a large mass of cold air has deepened over the past hours and, as expected, has turned into an extratropical cyclone in the open sea in the South Atlantic Ocean, at a great distance from the continent, at the high latitudes of Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sol.

The large extratropical cyclone, in dimensions, is not severe. According to an analysis of numerical models early Saturday, the system in the South Atlantic Ocean has the lowest atmospheric pressure at its center of 993 hPa. Although not as intense, the hurricane does change the weather from the south to the northeast of Brazil.

Typically, extratropical cyclones operate at southern latitudes, usually on the coast of Argentina. Since this low pressure area is located north, the accompanying cold front is able to advance to the low latitudes of South America and reach northeastern Brazil. Therefore, the front system brings rain and storms to Bahia, where there MetSul has issued a warning of heavy rainincluding the capital, Salvador.

The circulation of cyclonic clouds reaches the east of the three southern states of Brazil and even south, near the coast, in the states of the southeastern region. The marine circulation has brought rain and drizzle since yesterday to points east of Rio Grande do Sul such as Serra, Grand Porto Alegre and the coast, which will continue this weekend.

The volumes of precipitation generated by cyclonic circulation are not high, because in many places the instability is nothing more than a light drizzle or rain. In isolation, moderate to heavy rains of a transient character may occur. On Good Friday, for example, it was 2 mm in some neighborhoods in Porto Alegre and in Canoas, it rained up to 4 mm all day.

winds

Winds are not a concern for the performance of this extratropical cyclone. The forecast indicates light winds mostly in the continental region. The large distance of the system in the open sea and the fact that the atmospheric pressure gradient is not very high do not favor stronger winds. Since the winds must be close to the center of the system in the ocean, the danger is limited to ships on the high seas and at a significant distance from the coast of southern Brazil.

rough sailor

A cyclone generates a path of winds in the high seas. This adds to the marine turbulence caused by the ingress of cold air that yesterday caused a hangover on some beaches in Santa Catarina and Parana, such as Matinhos. Therefore, the trend is for the sea to remain rough between the northeastern coasts of Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro, with flows at some points and high tides that can cause coastal flooding.

hurricane development

The hurricane will not advance towards the mainland. On the contrary, the trend is to move away. Within the next 24 to 48 hours, the tropical cyclone is expected to move east and southeast, moving away from South America. The system may undergo a slight intensification process, but as it moves away from the continental region, there is no expectation of severe consequences over time.