As per reports, according to Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), a red alert for extreme rainfall is in effect for Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais. The alert is valid until 0700 hours local time (1000 hours UTC) on Thursday (18 December).

• Rainfall exceeding 60 millimetres per hour or more than 100 millimetres per day may be recorded, posing a high risk of flooding, flash floods, overflowing rivers, and landslides.
• The areas expected to be affected include Southern Espírito Santo, Zona da Mata, Campo das Vertentes, Northwest and Central Fluminense, the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, Northern Fluminense, Coastal Lowlands, Southern Fluminense, and Central Espírito Santo.
• The severe weather is being driven by the formation of a moisture corridor associated with the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ), a typical summer system that transports large volumes of moisture from northern Brazil to the Southeast. This system leads to high rainfall accumulations in Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, with alerts of great danger issued for storms and heavy rainfall.
• The National Civil Defense has mobilized support for Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo, with teams from the National Center for Risk and Disaster Management (Cenad) on standby.
• The Civil Defense Alert system is actively being used to send emergency text and audio alerts to mobile phones in high-risk areas.