The National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) published an orange-level (‘perigo potencial’) bulletin on 12 July forecasting a sudden 3–5 °C temperature drop across parts of São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul through 9 a.m. on Monday, 13 July. The alert follows a polar air mass advancing from Argentina and raises concerns about low-visibility fog and frost on key logistics corridors such as BR-116 (Curitiba–Porto Alegre) and the Rodoanel ring around São Paulo. Aviation meteorologists at São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) and Campinas/Viracopos (VCP) airports anticipate possible CAT II/III instrument-landing procedures in the early hours, which historically generate ripple delays for morning departures—particularly for regional jets serving Porto Alegre and Foz do Iguaçu. Airlines have issued ‘flex-travel’ waivers allowing fee-free rebooking for flights to and from the affected states until 14 July. Ground transport operators warn that frost-prone stretches in the Serra do Mar and Serra Gaúcha could trigger speed restrictions for long-haul coaches and high-value cargo convoys. Corporate shuttle providers for expatriate engineers working at automotive plants in São José dos Campos have pre-positioned spare vehicles fitted with tire chains, a precaution more typical of southern Chile than of southeastern Brazil. Employers with duty-of-care policies should communicate INMET’s guidance in Portuguese and English, ensuring traveling staff carry thermal clothing and allow extra transfer time. Companies operating temperature-sensitive supply chains—such as pharma cold-chains—are advised to monitor reefer set-points closely; past cold snaps have seen unexpected over-cooling during uphill segments, compromising vaccine shipments. The cold-wave alert underscores Brazil’s increasingly volatile winter weather patterns, which have grown more relevant for mobility planning as business travel rebounds to pre-pandemic volumes.
Source: Rádio Itatiaia
