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Despite the high frequency with which they are occurring, the rains recorded in Rio Branco in the early days of September does not mean anticipation of the Amazonian winter period, which can be observed, commonly, in the last two months of the year.
The evaluation is from the coordinator of the Civil Defense of Acre, Lieutenant Colonel Claudio Falcão. According to him, the absence of the phenomena El Niño and La Niña – called neutrality – is the factor responsible for precipitation in the capital and other regions of the Acre River basin.
Despite improved relative humidity and milder temperatures, drought still persists/ Photo: Contilnet
“It is not winter that is coming earlier. We started September with some good rains, but this happens with the neutrality of phenomena. Today we have no influence of La Niña or El Niño. It is as if we had returned to ancient times, when the rains appeared in isolation this time of year,” the colonel explained in an interview with Contilnet.
Despite improved relative humidity and milder temperatures, drought still persists. Falcão points out that several streams continue dry and communities continue to ask for support for access to drinking water. “Today we will visit some streams that are totally without water. They dry, only leaves in the background. So, even with the rains, nothing changed in relation to the drought,” he said.
The records of the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) show that the months of July and August were far below the historical average. In August, for example, it rained only 12 millimeters, when expected would be 46.5 mm.
“And of these 12, almost 10 millimeters were on the last day of the month. Otherwise, August would have closed with only 3 millimeters. This further aggravates the drought we face now,” added the coordinator.
In the case of the Acre River, which in September 2024 reached the lowest historic quota, with 1.23 meters, the impacts are still visible. According to Falcão, even with the precipitation, the level is still falling. “The rains help momentarily, but do not change the drought,” he warned.
Lieutenant Colonel stressed that the expectation for the rest of the month is occasional, but insufficient to reach the average of 92 mm scheduled for September.
“It may rain a little more than in the previous months, but we will hardly get to the expected. This means that even though it does not reach the smallest historical mark, the situation remains worrying,” he said.
