Brazil
Sensitive Rain Seasons
- South summer wet season (October–March): Persistent atmospheric blocking channels moisture into Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná, producing severe flooding.
- Amazon / Northeast wet season (January–May): Rainfall is significantly suppressed during El Niño, leading to drought and low river stages.
Primary Environmental Hazards
- • Historic river floods and municipal inundations across southern states (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina)
- • Severe drought and historic low river water levels throughout the central Amazon basin
- • Sharply increased forest fires and smoke pollution across the Amazon rainforest arc of deforestation
- • Severe agricultural drought across the semi-arid northeastern Sertão
- • Disruption to commercial shipping along the Amazon and Madeira rivers
Current 2026–27 El Niño Context for Brazil
As the 2026–27 event intensifies, Brazil faces twin extremes: acute flood danger across southern river basins and drought stress across the northern and Amazonian waterways.
Major Monitored River Basins in Brazil
Amazon River at Manaus
3.12° S, 60.02° WWorld's largest river system; river levels drop dramatically during strong El Niño.
Guaíba / Jacuí Basin
30.03° S, 51.22° WSurrounds Porto Alegre; prone to massive catastrophic floods during southern El Niño rain events.
Paraná River Upper Basin
25.50° S, 54.58° WSupplies Itaipu Dam; enhanced runoff during southern El Niño episodes.
Monitored Cities in Brazil
Select any city below for real-time temperature, 7-day rainfall forecasts, and live flood risk score:
Sao Paulo
23.6° S, 46.6° WManaus
3.1° S, 60.0° WRio de Janeiro
22.9° S, 43.2° WBrasilia
15.8° S, 47.9° WPorto Alegre
30.0° S, 51.2° WCuritiba
25.4° S, 49.3° WFortaleza
3.7° S, 38.5° WHistorical El Niño Events in Brazil
1997–98 Event
Catastrophic forest fires engulfed Roraima while southern rivers broke historic banks.
2015–16 Event
Severe drought plunged the Amazon to record-low river flows and reduced hydropower reserves.
2023–24 Event
Historic low water levels paralyzed Amazon navigation while torrential rain triggered catastrophic inundation in southern Brazil.