Severe Weather in South America: Tornadoes and Severe Storms

[Alexandre Aguiar]

Hey guys, take a look at this photo below. It was taken yesterday in the hills near my town. How would you classify it ?

 

[Bill Hark]

Hey guys, take a look at this photo below. It was taken yesterday in the hills near my town. How would you classify it ?

That's a very cool picture. I haven't seen many tornadoes over mountains. Was there any damage?

Bill Hark

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

Dear Bill

Thank you so much. Finally, someone answered. Well, this paper was published here in the local newspaper just as a curious photo. The paper said: : It resembles the tornadoes in the US". As there are only trees in that area we have no report of damages. The great question, and you offered your opinion, if that can be classified as a true tornado.

Alexandre

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

We are forecasting a major severe outbreak this week in central and northern areas of Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. The weather will be more dangerous across Argentina. In a bulletin we issued today we advised to the risk of tornadoes. Showalter Index for some areas of central Argentina will be -7 to -8 tonight. Check out also the CAPE and Lift for tonight in South America.

Shear will be high and dew point values are near 80F in some of the areas covered in the bulletin.

 

[Bill Hark]

In reference to the funnel cloud over the mountains listed earlier, I think it is an actual tornado. Sometimes, cloud lowerings can look like tornadoes especially over mountains but the clouds appear to be spinning. I wish there was video.

We are forecasting a major severe outbreak this week in central and northern areas of Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil

I hope to see some video or other storm reports if there is an outbreak. Does anybody actively chase in that area?

Bill Hark

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

I do not know any chaser in South America. One huge problem here is lack of radar coverage.

 

[Tarmo Tanilsoo]

We are forecasting a major severe outbreak this week in central and northern areas of Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. The weather will be more dangerous across Argentina. In a bulletin we issued today we advised to the risk of tornadoes. Showalter Index for some areas of central Argentina will be -7 to -8 tonight. Check out also the CAPE and Lift for tonight in South America.

Shear will be high and dew point values are near 80F in some of the areas covered in the bulletin.

CAPE is expected to exceed 4000 J/Kg in some places? Those areas could have indeed very severe weather. According to Wikipedia, two hours before May 3, 1999 F5 tornado, CAPE was 5885 J/Kg in Oklahoma City. 4000 J/Kg could be also quite a concern in my opinion. Low SI is also very alerting. Do you know how low lifted indexes are expected?

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

LI was forecasted in the map above to reach - 6.

The reports coming from Argentina do not indicate any tornado so far, but very heavy rainfall and and damaging traight line winds. Buenos Aires airports are presenting huge delays and traffic conditions are very bad. Rosario, in Santa Fe, have half a meter (almost two feet) of water in some streets. News are not always so fast, so we expect to have a better view of the consequences late in the afternoon hours.

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

I got more pictures of the interesting formation I mentioned in the last page.







The pictures were taken by Alexandra Marquat in the hills of Osorio, state of Rio Grande do Sul, last February 22nd. This town is just 50 miles northeast where I live. This storm was the same that passed minutes earlier in Porto Alegre (my city) were some cool photos were also taken. I was told this event in Osorio was a scud cloud. There was little rotation and no damage was reported.

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

VIDEO

On Sunday (25) a severe thunderstorm affected the city of Curitiba, capital of the state of Parana in Southern Brazil, causing damages by wind and flash flooding. The storm developed very rapidly as seen in this sequence of radar pictures with intervals of 10 minutes.

Well, check this video recorded during the storm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e72A9oR27k4&eurl=http://www.metsul.com/blog/?cod_blog=3

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

The clouds did not produce any rain or storm, but convection was deep this afternoon in the city of Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Some cool photos taken over the downtown skyline:

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

A major severe weather outbreak is underway in central South America. We just got a report of a possible tornado in Pando, just north of the Uruguay's capital Montevideo. Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, is under water due to flash flooding. We issued multiple severe weather watches and warnings. We are struglling with our servers due to heavy traffic in the homepage.

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

Southern Brazil right now:



Radar image from Parana state weather center.

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

Just In: Two deathes just confirmed after a major storm affected the city of Erechim in northern Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. In 36 hours of this severe weather outbreak in South America the death toll reaches 3 (2 in Brazil and 1 in Uruguay). One person is missing in Argentina. You do not need to know Spanish to understand one word in the headline appearing in the front page of Buenos Aires main newspaper today: "

Strong storm bring chaos.

 

[Alexandre Aguiar]

In the previous post I mentioned the storm in Erechim. Well, the precipitation amount was 4 inches in 20 minuts or 1 inch every 5 minutes !!! Here is the radar image sequence of the cell that dumped this deluge in Erechim. Two people died due to severe flash flooding.