Brazil’s volatile summer weather has delivered its first major punch of the season. Between 30 November and 2 December the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) placed ten states – stretching from Amazonas in the north to Rio Grande do Sul in the south – under an orange-level alert, warning of up to 100 mm of rain in 24 hours, wind gusts of 100 km/h and isolated hail. The broad footprint closed sections of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone precisely as the year-end travel surge was gathering pace.
By dawn on 2 December, airport operator Infraero had logged more than 60 cancellations and 90 delays nationwide. Secondary hubs bore the brunt: Florianópolis (FLN) closed its runway twice to remove standing water, while Porto Alegre (POA) suspended departures for 40 minutes when wind shear exceeded safety limits. Flag-carriers LATAM and Azul activated voluntary re-booking waivers through 4 December, allowing one date change without penalty – a policy mobility managers should highlight to travelling staff.
![Severe summer storms trigger mass flight cancellations across ten Brazilian states]()
Ground transport also suffered. Federal highway police announced partial closures on BR-470 after flash-floods damaged a bridge deck, and long-haul bus company Viação Garcia suspended overnight services on the Curitiba–Foz do Iguaçu corridor pending structural inspections. Corporate security teams are urging assignees to avoid low-lying neighbourhoods in Porto Alegre and monitor civil-defence channels for landslide warnings.
Although summer thunderstorms are common, INMET noted that the breadth of the current warning is among the widest it has issued since February 2024, a product of warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures interacting with the convergence zone. Meteorologists expect the pattern to persist through mid-December, meaning more disruptions are likely. Mobility leaders should prepare remote-work contingencies, confirm hotels have back-up power, and remind travellers that Brazilian regulations do not offer EU-style cash compensation when cancellations are weather-related.
The episode is a timely reminder that Brazil’s infrastructure resilience remains uneven. Companies with high volumes of intra-Brazil travel – particularly in energy, agribusiness and mining – should revisit their wet-season risk matrices and ensure traveller-tracking apps capture real-time location data so duty-of-care obligations can be met.
By dawn on 2 December, airport operator Infraero had logged more than 60 cancellations and 90 delays nationwide. Secondary hubs bore the brunt: Florianópolis (FLN) closed its runway twice to remove standing water, while Porto Alegre (POA) suspended departures for 40 minutes when wind shear exceeded safety limits. Flag-carriers LATAM and Azul activated voluntary re-booking waivers through 4 December, allowing one date change without penalty – a policy mobility managers should highlight to travelling staff.
Ground transport also suffered. Federal highway police announced partial closures on BR-470 after flash-floods damaged a bridge deck, and long-haul bus company Viação Garcia suspended overnight services on the Curitiba–Foz do Iguaçu corridor pending structural inspections. Corporate security teams are urging assignees to avoid low-lying neighbourhoods in Porto Alegre and monitor civil-defence channels for landslide warnings.
Although summer thunderstorms are common, INMET noted that the breadth of the current warning is among the widest it has issued since February 2024, a product of warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures interacting with the convergence zone. Meteorologists expect the pattern to persist through mid-December, meaning more disruptions are likely. Mobility leaders should prepare remote-work contingencies, confirm hotels have back-up power, and remind travellers that Brazilian regulations do not offer EU-style cash compensation when cancellations are weather-related.
The episode is a timely reminder that Brazil’s infrastructure resilience remains uneven. Companies with high volumes of intra-Brazil travel – particularly in energy, agribusiness and mining – should revisit their wet-season risk matrices and ensure traveller-tracking apps capture real-time location data so duty-of-care obligations can be met.
