A heat wave gripping Brazil has set new records: Rio de Janeiro's heat index reached 62.3 degrees Celsius (144.1 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest in a decade, weather authorities say.
The heat index measures how a temperature feels considering humidity. The actual maximum temperature in the city was 42C on Monday, the Rio Alert weather system said.
The record of 62.3°C was recorded in western Rio at 09:55 am (12:55 GMT) on Sunday and was the “highest mark” since Rio Alert began keeping such records in 2014.
The beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana were packed with people as authorities published advice for coping with the heat.
“I'm very afraid that it will get worse because the population is increasing a lot and deforestation is very high due to the increase in housing,” lamented Raquel Correia, a 49-year-old administrative assistant, in a park in central Rio.
The previous record for the heat index was set in November, when it reached 59.7 °C (139.5 °F).
Meanwhile, extreme rains were wreaking havoc in the south of the country and are expected to continue next week, according to authorities.
“The week will be very high risk in south-central Brazil due to intense rains and storms. The most worrying system is a very intense cold front that will arrive with torrential rains and possible gales,” warned the meteorological information agency MetSul.
