A subtropical storm with strong winds, heavy rain, and rough seas hit parts of southern Brazil and Uruguay earlier this week.
Forecasters said the unusual weather was caused by a subtropical storm that is not a regular occurrence in the region.
Río Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state, was hit by Cyclone Yakecan on Tuesday as rough weather swept across the region.
The cyclone brought with it strong winds that lasted most of the day. This caused significant damage and thousands of power outages.
Damages and Fatalities
At least 182,000 households in Río Grande do Sul experienced power outages on Tuesday due to wind damage from the cyclone.
CEEE Equatorial, the local electric utility, explained that the storm blew trees and other large objects onto power lines, causing major damage and outages. The company is working to restore service, but it has not been announced when power will be restored.
Later that same day, damaging winds continued to advance southward, sweeping across parts of Uruguay.
On Wednesday, South American weather company MetSul reported hundreds of thousands of power outages in southern Brazil and Uruguay.
Uruguay's national emergency response system, SINAE, reported that a 23-year-old man died north of the city of Montevideo after a tree fell on his house. The strong wind gusts reached up to 98 km/h.
In Río Grande do Sul, a 51-year-old man was killed when his boat capsized due to a subtropical storm. The boat, with three people on board, ran aground on Lake Guaiba in Puerto Alegre during the storm. The other two men managed to reach the shore.
Subtropical Storm Classification
The Brazilian Navy classified Cyclone Yakecan as a subtropical storm.
Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, explains that a tropical storm usually has a warm core. That means it needs warmer water to form.
The meteorologist added that subtropical storms often form early or late in the season when the water is only slightly warm.
Jason Nicholls, another AccuWeather senior meteorologist, explained that some tropical storms are not uncommon in this part of South America.
Nicholls added that in 2021, four subtropical cyclones formed in a zone that stretched from the coast of northeastern Argentina to southeastern Brazil.
Read also: Coastal Storm: Coastal Erosion Washes Away Homes in Outer Banks, North Carolina
Although the latest cyclone is not rare, it caused much destruction this week in southern Brazil and parts of Uruguay.
The storm moved away from the coast on Thursday. However, some aftermath can still be seen as residents clean up the damage left behind by the destructive cyclone.
Nicholls advised that high pressure will provide dry weather in the affected areas through Tuesday of the following week.
The cycle triggered an orange alert, the second-highest alert level in Uruguay.
Precautionary Measures
Brazilian authorities have taken important steps to protect lives and property from the worst effects of Cyclone Yakecan.
Public buildings in Río Grande do Sul were closed ahead of schedule. Classes in schools and universities were canceled.
Yakecan is a word from the Guarani language which means heaven's sound.
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