Brazil – 4 Dead in Rio After Storm Dumps 123mm of Rain in 1 Hour

A storm that hit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 14 and 15 February 2018 caused severe wind damage and flooding across the city.

At least 4 storm-related deaths have been confirmed by Rio authorities. Trees and power lines were downed and some areas of the city were left without electricity.

Some areas recorded more rain in 1 hour than would normally be seen for the whole of February. Rivers overflowed and streets were flooded, causing traffic chaos.

Rio de Janeiro – Floods in Jardim Maravilha. Photo: Vladimir Platonow/Agência Brasil)

In a statement of 15 February, the government of Rio de Janeiro city said:

“We were expecting heavy rain, but we had a historic rain. The last historic record happened 17 years ago, in Campo Grande, with 116 mm of rain in one hour. This year, in Barra da Tijuca, we had more than 123 mm. This rain was accompanied by strong winds, causing flooding and fallen trees across the city.”

Four deaths have been confirmed. Two people died when a house collapsed in Quintino, and another when a house collapsed in Cascadura. A military police officer was killed in Realengo when a tree fell on the victim’s car.

Civil defence say that over 50 properties have suffered severe flood damage in Complexo do Alemão and Cascadura.

Centro de Operações Rio said they were responding to over 100 incidents across the city, including downed trees, rockfalls, landslides and flooding.

Agência Brasil (ABR) the national public news agency, reports that Jardim Maravilha in Guaratiba in the western zone of Rio, was one of the worst affected by the rain. The Cabuçu river burst its banks flooding houses and streets around the town.

The rain was particularly intense during the early hours of 15 February. According to figures from Sistema Alerta Rio, more than 50 mm fell in the space of an hour in 15 different locations across the city. Some areas recorded 36.2 mm in the space of just 15 minutes and Barra da Tijuca / Riocentro recorded 123.2 mm in 1 hour. The mean total rainfall for Rio in February is 105.3 mm according to WMO.