Seven tornadoes have been recorded in Rio Grande do Sul since the beginning of this year. Only between the 5th and 7th of November, the state Civil Defense confirmed three occurrences of the phenomenon, two of them on Saturday, the 7th. The South Region as a whole has faced a sequence of tornadoes, with records in cities in Santa Catarina and Paraná — the effect of climate change and an El Niño that could be among the most impactful ever recorded.
El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon that occurs at irregular intervals, usually every 2 to 7 years. It is characterized by warming greater than or equal to 0.5°C of the surface waters of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. This warming alters the circulation of winds and the distribution of heat and humidity around the globe, impacting climate patterns in different parts of the world.
Tornadoes registered in RS in 2026:
Houses uncovered and one injured in RS; Tornado passage is investigated — Photo: Civil Defense of Santo Augusto
The recent sequence of tornadoes is related to different factors, such as the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, climate change and also the fact that Rio Grande do Sul is located in the so-called tornado corridor of South America, one of the most favorable regions on the planet for the formation of these phenomena, behind only the central region of the United States.
The state's Civil Defense does not have a list with specific records of tornadoes, but it confirms the occurrence of seven tornadoes in 2026. The agency highlights that, since 2018, there have been episodes of intense tornadoes in cities in Rio Grande do Sul.
“El Niño added to a hot planet are factors that intensify this atmospheric circulation that develops storms and the region suitable for this to happen is the South region, therefore it is the scenario that explains well what is happening”, explains climatologist and professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Francisco Eliseu Aquino.
According to the climatologist, the increase in the number of confirmed tornadoes in the south of the country in recent years is also due to the evolution of technology capable of detecting the phenomenon.
"Like all events in the world, they are better identified because people can photograph, film, have a more adequate record so that we [meteorologists] can later check and really understand what phenomenon happened" says Aquino.
During El Niño, storms become more intense and, consequently, there is a greater risk of tornadoes.
According to Climatempo Meteorologia, excessive cloudiness, tornadoes, hail episodes and windstorms occur as a result of a combination of factors, which includes the passage of cold fronts that advance from Argentina and cold fronts that form between the south of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. El Niño increases the risk of severe phenomena.
El Niño
El Niño is expected to peak in December 2026 and January 2027, remaining active throughout the summer. The weakening is expected to occur in autumn 2027.
The warming of the planet brings consequences that intensify the phenomenon, as was the case with the strong El Niño of 2024, when RS faced historic floods.
“The tornado corridor became a little more intense, it advanced a little further north, due to the increase in temperatures and, of course, the contrasts were more intense”, reports the UFRGS professor.
Regarding the prediction of severe weather episodes, the climatologist addresses the difficulties of confirming the phenomena in advance and determining the exact area that will be affected.
“It depends on the hour by hour, monitoring of images, the development of convective systems and the trajectory they are on.”
Therefore, it is not always possible to issue an alert to the population before a storm occurs.
When encountering a strong storm, the advice is to take shelter indoors. Rooms such as the bathroom and kitchen, which tend to have the most resistant construction, are recommended.
At the beginning of this month, the state's Civil Defense was already monitoring the possibility of tornadoes and providing guidance to municipalities with potential for damage.
“In order for them to prepare, adopt the measures foreseen in their contingency plans and we then had this confirmation of these phenomena”, comments Lieutenant Sabrina Ribas, Social Communication Coordinator of the Civil Defense of RS.
To forecast, monitor and monitor weather phenomena and their consequences, the Civil Defense of RS has a team of meteorologists, who are part of the Civil Defense Monitoring Center (CMDEC). They work together with regional coordinators.
Tornado in Pelotas, in February 2026 — Photo: Reproduction
Residents record tornado formation in the interior of RS — Photo: Maria Suzeti Angeloni Casteller/Personal archive
What is a tornado?
Tornadoes are very intense atmospheric phenomena. They generally arise from severe storms in areas with large wind variations. Meteorology can identify when there are favorable conditions for severe storms, but it is not yet possible to accurately indicate the point at which a tornado will form or touch down.
According to Climatempo Meteorologia, "a tornado is an ascending air current generated between the base of the supercell and the ground, in the shape of a funnel, with a rotating movement.” When the funnel touches the ground we call it a tornado.
Other records of tornadoes in RS
December 2003: tornado in Antônio Prado leaves five dead and eight injured.
September 2005: Many Capões records destruction of houses with winds above 180 km/h.
April 2014: Tapejara and Erebango have around 3,500 homeless or homeless people; a death is recorded.
March 2017: São Francisco de Paula has 110 houses destroyed, 700 damaged and almost a thousand people out of their homes.
June 2018: sequence of tornadoes hits cities in the north of RS and causes two deaths.
