First Ever Hurricane In South Atlantic Hits Brazil

Created by doina. Last modified on 2004-03-29 21:05:14
Topic: Weather
Countries: Brazil

On Friday 26 March the U.S. National Hurricane Center classified a developing storm off the Brazilian coast as a hurricane, the first ever to be officially recorded in the South Atlantic. Thousands were left homeless in Brazil after the storm hit the southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul late on Saturday.

The US National Hurricane Centre in Florida estimated the storm was a full-fledged hurricane with central winds of between 121kph and 129 kph. Brazilian scientists disagreed, saying winds did not exceed 80kph to 90kph, far below the 121kph threshold of a hurricane, and it was an extratropical cyclone quite common in Brazil.