Record colds in Brazil threaten the homeless, crops

Coats and scarves appeared in Brazil prematurely, as in the south of the tropical country there is a record cold snap, a threat to both the homeless and the harvest.

In the capital of Brazil, 1.4 degrees Celsius the coldest temperature in its history on Thursday, more than a month left before the official start of winter.

On the website of the meteorological agency Inmet, the entire southern half of the map of Brazil is painted orange and the inscription: “Cold wave (danger)”.

In Sao Paulo, the largest city in Latin America, on Wednesday morning the thermometer column stood at 6.6 degrees Celsius, a record for May since 1990. The temperature seemed to be -4 degrees Celsius.

A 66-year-old homeless man died Wednesday in Sao Paulo after falling ill on a food distribution line. According to local media, he spent the night on the street.

This week, Sao Paulo City Hall announced 2,000 extra beds for the shelter, bringing the total capacity to about 17,000.

But Brazil’s economic capital is nearly 32,000 homelessalmost a third more than three years ago, before the coronavirus pandemic.

In the southern state of Santa Catarina, where for several days the temperature was below 2 degrees Celsius, snow captured tourists.

According to Estael Sias of the meteorological agency Metsul, the “atypical cold wave” was caused by Cyclone Jakekan, which hit southern Brazil and Uruguay.

“This cyclone is an anomaly that definitely fits extreme events related to climate change“she said.

Inmet has warned of the “possible consequences” of cold and frost for the agriculture of one of the world’s largest food producers.

© 2022 AFP