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Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro

The reading is the city’s highest in a decade. Heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.

Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
People try to keep cool on Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach on March 17, 2024, during a heatwave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
Published On 18 Mar 2024

A heatwave stifling Brazil has set new records with Rio de Janeiro’s heat index hitting 62.3 degrees Celsius (144.1 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest in a decade, weather authorities say.

The heat index measures what a temperature feels like by taking into account humidity. The actual maximum temperature in the city was 42C on Monday, the Rio Alert weather system said.

The 62.3C record was notched in western Rio at 09:55am (12:55 GMT) on Sunday, and was the “highest mark” since Alerta Rio began keeping such records in 2014.

The Ipanema and Copacabana beaches were packed with people as authorities published tips on coping with the heat.

“I am very afraid it will get worse because the population is increasing a lot and deforestation is very high due to the increase in housing,” 49-year-old administrative assistant Raquel Correia lamented in a park in central Rio.

The previous heat index record was set in November when it hit 59.7C (139.5F).

Meanwhile, extreme rains were wreaking havoc in the south of the country and are forecast to continue next week, according to authorities.

“The week will be of very high risk in the centre-south of Brazil due to intense rains and storms. The most worrisome system is a very intense cold front that will arrive with torrential rains and possible gales,” the weather information agency MetSul warned.

Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
A street thermometer reads 39C (102F) in the city of Sao Paulo. [Miguel Schincaroil/AFP]
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Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
A heatwave in Brazil drives residents of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo onto beaches and into parks. [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
In western Rio, the heat index hit a record on March 16, 2024, of 60.1C (140.2F) only to be broken the next day as the index rose to a sizzling 62.3C (144.1F). [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
An aerial view shows bathers at the Sesc Belenzinho swimming pools as they try to escape the heat in Sao Paulo. [Miguel Schincaroil/AFP]
Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
Some locals say sometimes there is not enough water to drink or bathe in during the high temperatures. [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
The "thermal sensation" on March 17, 2023, is the highest recorded since the Rio Alert System began taking measurements in 2014, the Rio Operations Centre (COR) says in a report. [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
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Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
According to the COR’s report, “Thermal sensation is a heat index calculated from temperature and relative humidity data. The higher the temperature and relative humidity, the greater the sensation of heat in that region." [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
Guaratiba, the western neighbourhood of Rio where the record reading was recorded, is prone to high temperatures due to its proximity to the ocean and warm northerly winds that hit the area, COR says. [Tercio Teixeira/AFP]
Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro
“Science has clearly shown that what kills most people in the extreme weather events that are exploding around the world are heatwaves, not landslides or floods,” Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre says. [Miguel Schincaroil/AFP]