Powerful sandstorms in southeastern Brazil have killed at least six people in a powerful sandstorm in Sao Paulo.
Since the end of September, winds have been blowing in the countryside at least three times with substantial sand clouds up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour. This situation has created fear among residents in urban and rural areas of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais.
According to local media, seven people were killed in Sao Paulo when trees and houses collapsed in the storm.
“While this type of storm is normal, it is not as severe as in 2021,” meteorologist Estelle Sias of the Brazilian weather channel Metsul told AFP.
He said, “This situation has arisen due to long periods of lack of rain, high temperature, and low humidity.
He said intense storms are the result of climate change. “In this century, there have been recording temperatures every year. Extreme weather has been accompanied by rain, storms, floods, droughts, and cold. These dust storms bear witness to this. Such storms can frequently occur in desert areas,” Sias said.
Brazil, meanwhile, is facing its worst drought in 91 years, with rising electricity costs due to declining water levels in hydropower plants in the country’s mid-west and south.
