This natural phenomenon brought with it a trail of destruction, affecting local infrastructure and the lives of residents, in addition to leaving six dead and at least 750 injured.
Southern Brazil was recently rocked by a devastating tornado that caused significant destruction in the city of , located in the state of Paraná. This natural phenomenon brought with it a trail of destruction, affecting local infrastructure and the lives of residents, in addition to leaving six dead and at least 750 injured. Meteorologist Lizandro Jacóbsen, from the Paraná Environmental Technology and Monitoring System (SIMEPAR), provided a detailed explanation of the conditions that led to the formation of the tornado.
According to him, the event was the result of super storm cells, which developed in front of a frontal system induced by an extratropical cyclone. This cyclone, originating from a low pressure system, not only impacted Paraná, but also caused damage in other regions, such as the coast of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where falling trees and other damage were recorded.
Weather forecasts and challenges
Lizandro Jacóbsen highlighted that, although the cyclone is still active over the Atlantic Ocean, the forecast for the next few days is for a brief calm in the south of the country, with firm weather until Tuesday. However, he warned that from Wednesday onwards, the weather could become unstable again, with the possibility of typical spring storms. The meteorologist emphasized that despite technological advances, accurately predicting tornadoes remains a significant challenge. Currently, it is only possible to identify risk areas with limited advance notice, which makes preparation and damage mitigation difficult.
The Complexity of Tornado Forecasting
Giovanni Dolif, meteorologist at the National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alerts (CEMADEN), reinforced the complexity involved in predicting tornadoes, even with the use of modern radar systems. He explained that although Brazil has made significant investments in warning systems for heavy rainfall, predicting tornadoes remains a challenge due to their random nature and lack of sufficient historical data. Dolif highlighted that the unpredictability of tornadoes makes preparing for and responding to these events even more difficult, requiring a continued effort to improve monitoring and warning technologies.
Impact of climate change
In addition to the difficulties inherent in predicting tornadoes, Giovanni Dolif commented on the impact of climate change on the increase in the frequency and intensity of storms. He stated that a hotter planet could potentially intensify these meteorological phenomena, although the direct relationship with the recent tornado in Paraná cannot yet be confirmed.
*Report produced with the help of AI
