Major Flooding Hits Brazil

I kind of warned about this with the last Latin America Update, but I toned things down too much.  The dipole that had been drying out Amazonas state and flooding Colombia has absolutely swiveled around. It continues to dry out Amazonas, but is now dumping very heavy rain on San Paulo state (not the city, just the northern parts of the state, at least for now) and points northward. According to the Washington Post, the worst hit state, so far, is Minas Gerais. Goiás, Mato Grosso and Espirito Santo are also very much at risk. The rains are not expected to ease anytime soon, models show heavy rainfall continuing at least until the early part of next week. 35 people are currently reported dead and that number is likely to rise. Damage to roads and buildings, especially in the more rural areas, is likely to be severe.

Picture from AFP.