Cities in the State of Santa Catarina Fight for Title of Brazil's Coldest Cities

06/22/2018 - 12h15

A battle of frost and media has been fought among the cities of São Joaquim, Urubici and Urupema, in the region of Serra Santa Catarina, for the last ten years. The cities compete for the title of the coldest city in Brazil.

The war is waged on two fronts: the (costly) implementation of weather stations, which attempt to record the lowest temperatures, and the (free) sending of photos and videos to newspapers and TV channels. The winner: tourists.

The main target of the cities is Leandro Puchalski, meteorologist of NSC, a broadcasting network of Rede Globo in Santa Catarina.

Which is the coldest, Puchalski? "There's no telling. Is it the coldest point? Or the annual average? Each city will choose a criterion. The fight is so fierce that Urupema, with less than 3,000 inhabitants, has three official weather stations!"

Urupema recorded the lowest temperature this year: -6.6 °C, and one of its tourist attractions is a frozen waterfall.

Urupema has only two hotels and seven hostels, with 250 beds, against 185 hostels (3,000 beds) and 50 restaurants in Urubici, a city far more prepared to receive tourists.

	Foto: Victor Parolin/Folhapress
	URUPEMA, SC

São Joaquim, which has 25 accommodation options, is the most famous city in the battle. For years Jornal Nacional airs stories on the city, showcasing its square with frozen trees - the result of hoses tied to them, pouring water onto their branches.

Translated by ANA BEATRIZ DEMARIA

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