Belo Horizonte breaks a new record and has the hottest day in history with 38.4ºC

Five days after registering the highest temperature in its history, last Saturday (3), Belo Horizonte broke a new record this Wednesday (7). The thermometers registered 38.4ºC and the date became the hottest day in the history of the city, since 1910, when the measurements of the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) began. Until then, the highest temperature had been 37.8ºC last SaturdayThe.

“There is a very strong mass of heat and dry air at work. Furthermore, the cold fronts have not reached the city, which is causing this heat felt by the residents of the city ”, explained Cleber Souza, from Inmet. In addition to the heat, the climate is quite dry, the relative humidity of the air being similar to that of the desert in the mining capital.

Humidity reached 17%, well below that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommends 60% as ideal and below 30% as alertness. The minimum temperature in the capital this Wednesday was 22.7ºC.

A new temperature record can be recorded in BH until Friday

At the moment the heat should not give respite in the mining capital. Between this Thursday (8) and Friday (9) the thermometers must oscillate between 37ºC and 39ºC and a new record can be registered in the city. Temperatures should only drop from the weekend.

“A cold front will reach Minas Gerais and will cause more important rains in Belo Horizonte. Between Saturday (10) and Sunday (11) the temperatures will vary between 33ºC and 34ºC, however, from Monday the temperatures will begin to drop to close to 28ºC ”, explained the meteorologist.

According to him, the first spring rains that will pass from next week are usually stronger, with lightning and gusts of wind. “As the cold front meets the dry air mass, it can cause hail,” adds the expert. The rains should improve the relative humidity of the air.

Indoor thermometers reach almost 43ºC

If in the capital of Minas Gerais it is difficult to bear the heat, in the interior the situation is much worse. In the city of Araçuaí, in the Jequitinhonha valley, the thermometers reached 42.8ºC. In São Romão, in the north of Minas Gerais, temperatures reached 42.6ºC. Those were the highest temperatures in the state this year.

Meanwhile, the southern cities of Minas Gerais and Zona da Mata in Minas Gerais have already recorded significant rains with gusts of wind, lightning and even hail. There the temperatures are also high, close to 30ºC.

The hottest September in Brazilian history

On Wednesday, ClimaTempo released a survey by scientists from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) showing that September was the hottest month in Brazil’s history. Very high temperatures were recorded both last month and this month.

“This heat wave that settled in Brazil at the end of September and in the first days of October 2020 will be widely studied by the academy because it is rewriting the climatology of temperatures in the country, breaking heat records of more than one hundred years “, says the meteorologist Josélia Pegorim, from Climatempo, through the text of the website.

He also explains that, although the heat wave has spread throughout the country, it has affected the Midwest of the country and the state of São Paulo more severely. “October 6 was the eleventh consecutive day that the interior of São Paulo registered temperatures above 40 ° C,” added the expert.

The excessive heat caused Inmet to issue an alert for the risk of death from hyperthermia – higher temperatures than the human body can withstand – for 34 cities in the Triangle of Minas Gerais, which find themselves with continuous temperatures above 40º C.

“Depending on the influence of weather events such as La Niña in the remaining months, there are chances that 2020 will become the warmest world year on record, a record that remains with 2016. But the C3S scientists also revealed that both 2016 and 2020 have very similar global average temperature anomalies ”, concludes Climatempo.

See the highest temperatures in Belo Horizonte since measurements began in 1910.

03/10/2020 37.8ºC
10/22/2015 37.4ºC
10/31/2012 37.1ºC
10/17/2015 37.1ºC
10/19/1987 36.9ºC
10/16/2015 36.9ºC
09/25/2015 36.6ºC
10/17/2007 36.2ºC
10/19/2014 36.2ºC
10/21/2015 36.2ºC

Civil Defense Recommendations for low air humidity:

– Hydrate yourself during the day;

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– Prefer light and fresh foods, such as salads, fruits, grilled meats;

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– Avoid fried foods;

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– Sleep in a ventilated place moistened with humidifying devices, or even put a container with water;

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– Avoid physical activities outdoors and exposure to the sun between 10 am and 5 pm;

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– Avoid bathing with hot water, so as not to enhance the dryness of the skin, if necessary use moisturizer;

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– In case of respiratory problems, seek a specialist

Check out cities at risk of hypothermia: