The city of São Leopoldo breathes a sigh of relief after the Rio dos Sinos drops to 4.30m and leaves the alert status this Wednesday, September 20th. According to the municipality’s Civil Defense, the river level is declining and registered 4.27m at 5:30 pm, at the Praia street level. There are no homeless or displaced families.
However, the situation still requires attention and intensive monitoring, as heavy rains and persistent river flooding are expected between September 20th and 22nd, according to the hydrometeorological warning from the Situation Room of the State Secretariat for the Environment and Infrastructure (SEMA- LOL).
High levels in basins in the southern half of the state
According to the daily bulletin from the SEMA-RS Situation Room, the Ibirapuitã, Santa Maria and Uruguay rivers are above the flood level and in stability or decline. The Jacuí, Ibicuí, Camaquã and Guaíba rivers are above the alert level, but at an elevation. The Sinos and Gravataí rivers are above the attention level, but in slow decline.
Accumulated precipitation in the month of September in São Leopoldo was 305mm, well above the average of the last 30 years for the same period, which is 179mm, according to data from Climatempo. The lowest level recorded in São Leopoldo in 2023 was 0.29m on 02/14/2023. The highest level recorded in São Leopoldo in 2023 was 6.18m on 06/19/2023.
Risk of isolated storms over RS
Instabilities continue to affect Rio Grande do Sul in the coming days, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms, hail and gusts of wind in some regions. Rainfall volumes vary between 10 and 90 mm/day, occasionally reaching up to 50 mm/day on Friday (22).
The tendency is for instabilities to continue acting in the southern half on Saturday (23), maintaining the risk of rising river levels. Civil Defense recommends that riverside residents pay attention to weather warnings and signs of flooding.
