Lightning recording on Saturday night (13/01), in Belo Horizonte | Photo: Flavio Tavares
The storm that hit Belo Horizonte on Saturday night (13th) streaked the sky of the capital of Minas Gerais with around 350 lightning strikes in a period of less than two hours, according to an investigation carried out by Cemig.
“Between 9am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday, 363 electrical discharges (lightning strikes) were recorded in Belo Horizonte. Of these, 350 occurred between 10.30pm and 12.15am,” the company informed.
One of these rays fell onto the power grid near the Minas Shopping metro station, causing an explosion and fire in several electrical cables. The station was supposed to be closed on Saturday night and was only reopened on Sunday morning (14th), after maintenance carried out in the early hours of the morning.
According to Cemig, despite the intensity, there was no power outage in any large area and services were distributed in a distributed manner. Firefighters also recorded no lightning incidents in the rain this weekend.
Cause
Meteorologist Anete Fernandes, of the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) explains that a low pressure area on the south-eastern coast has created instabilities that allow the formation of this type of storm in Minas Gerais.
“The warming during the day, combined with all the available moisture, has favored the development of areas of instability across this area, causing thunderstorms in MG, RJ and parts of the central-western region,” he says.
Anete explains that lightning storms are common this time of year. “During the rainy season (spring-summer), every time these storms occur after a hot or muggy day, storm clouds form and with them the appearance of lightning. There is therefore the possibility that lightning will be repeated until the end of summer in March,” he explains.
Forecast for today
This Sunday (14th), in Belo Horizonte, the excess clouds and rain falling on the city keep the temperature low and reduce the risk of thunderstorms with lightning. However, the type of storm that hit the capital could be repeated in other cities across the state.
“What happened yesterday in Belo Horizonte, could happen today in the regions of the Northwest, the Central Mineira (3 Marias region) and the Triângulo Mineiro, where the day is less cloudy and, therefore, warmer,” says the meteorologist.
Inmet has a “Danger” weather warning for the central region of Brazil, which covers part of the State of Goiás, the Federal District, the Triângulo Mineiro and the North-West of Minas. In Belo Horizonte the Civil Protection alert concerns the risk of falling ravines and landslides due to frequent rain this weekend.
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2024-01-14 14:11:10
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