A month’s worth of rain in 2 hours as deadly storm hits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A powerful storm swept through Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second-largest city with a population of 6.3 million, late Wednesday into Thursday, February 7, 2019, bringing heavy rain and strong winds and leaving at least 6 people dead. The storm hit just several days after the city experienced its hottest January in 97 years – temperatures were as high as 42 °C (107.6 °F).
Meteorologists said the storm dumped more rain in just two hours than the city usually receives in a month, which is about 105 mm (4.1 inches) for February.
Streets quickly turned to rivers, sweeping away cars, motorcycles, downed trees and power poles, while mudslides destroyed hillside favelas and closed roads.
Iconic tourist hot-spots like Copacabana and Ipanema registered winds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph).
More photos can be found here.
At least 6 people were killed, authorities said February 7. Two people were killed and two others injured when a home collapsed in the western part of the city, while a mudslide in Rocinha, Rio's largest favela claimed one life. In the south-side favela of Vidigal, one person was crushed by a wall that collapsed and two perished when a tree fell on a bus. Firefighters took a young woman in Vidigal to a hospital, but there was no word on the nature or severity of her injuries.
Featured image: Floods in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 7, 2019.
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