With Heavy Rain, Water Rises Through Drains and Floods Porto Alegre Again

Mayor Sebastião Melo urges residents to stay off the streets

Porto Alegre

Heavy rain in Porto Alegre this Thursday (23rd) caused the water level of Lake Guaíba to rise, once again flooding neighborhoods in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

Porto Alegre (RS), 23/05/2024 - Heavy rain returns to Porto Alegre. Foto: Rafa Neddermeyer/Agência Brasil - Rafa Neddermeyer/Agência Brasi

According to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), the rain began at 3:30 am, and by 7:00 pm, 117 mm had fallen in the city. This is more than the storm on May 2, which recorded a total of 108.4 mm.

The return of flooding to parts of the central region put neighborhoods on alert. In sections of Menino Deus and Praia de Belas, water quickly rose through the drains.

After a week of successive declines, the level of Lake Guaíba rose by 9 cm in five hours. The lake level was at 3.83 meters at 9:15 am this Thursday, and by 2:15 pm, it had risen to 3.92 meters—the flood threshold is 3 meters.

The mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo, announced that all public and private school classes were suspended and urged residents to stay off the streets.

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