The Greater São Paulo area has issued a fire risk alert for the first time this year.
According to the Emergency Management Center (CGE), the city of São Paulo received only the equivalent of 2,9% of the 41,7 mm of rain expected for the month of July.
247 - The Civil Defense of the state of São Paulo issued a red alert for fire risk in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The warning is valid for this Wednesday (16) and Thursday (17). The risk is low only in regions close to the coast. According to the Emergency Management Center (CGE), of the City Hall of São Paulo, until this Tuesday (15) the capital of São Paulo registered in July only 1,2 mm of rain, which represents approximately 2,9% of the 41,7 mm expected for the month. The relative humidity of the air may drop to 20% this Wednesday, showed the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet).
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that levels below 60% are not adequate for human health. The recommendation is that people increase their water intake and avoid sun exposure between 11 am and 16 pm.
According to information released by the São Paulo Civil Defense, the weather conditions in Greater São Paulo are a result of the "meteorological forecast for July 16th, when a significant reduction in relative humidity is expected, accompanied by a slight increase in temperatures [the forecast high for this Wednesday is 24°C], a feeling of heat and mugginess, as well as higher levels of air pollution."
"This set of factors, combined with the prolonged absence of rainfall in the region, directly contributes to the increased risk of fires," says an excerpt from the statement, as pointed out by... Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.
Civil Defense pointed out that the risk of fire is likely to remain high until Saturday (19), when the approach of a cold front could increase the amount of moisture in the atmosphere.
"However, because it is a system far from the continent, this cold front is not expected to be intense enough to cause significant rainfall in the region, having only a limited impact on weather conditions," he says.
Worrying scenario
In March 2025, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a United Nations (UN) institution, reported this Wednesday (19) that 2024 was the warmest year in 175 years of scientific records. Temperatures recorded throughout the year confirmed that last year was the first to exceed 1,5 °C above the pre-industrial period (1850-1900).
Despite the record, the institution's report provides preliminary data that estimates long-term global warming of between 1,34°C and 1,41°C compared to the same period.
About 90% of the energy trapped by greenhouse gases in the Earth's system is stored in the oceans. This has led to the highest rate of ocean warming in 65 years, expected in 2024, as well as a doubling of the rate of sea level rise between 2015 and 2024 compared to the period 1993 to 2002.
The last 3 years have also recorded the smallest extents of Antarctic ice (South Pole) and the greatest loss of glacial mass. In the Arctic (North Pole), the smallest ice extents in the last 18 years have been recorded.
The impacts of extreme weather events recorded in the last year, coupled with conflicts and high domestic food prices, have resulted in the worsening of food crises in 18 countries, the report indicates.
The WMO report was based on scientific contributions from national meteorological and hydrological services, the institution's regional climate centers, and UN partners, with the participation of dozens of experts (with Abr).
