Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) issued an orange-level alert late on Monday, 15 December, warning of wind gusts up to 100 km/h, torrential rain and possible hail across almost the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul. The warning, valid until 10:00 on Tuesday, 16 December, heightens concerns for travellers already grappling with weather-related chaos farther north in São Paulo.
According to INMET, rainfall could reach 100 millimetres in 24 hours, threatening flash floods on the BR-116 and BR-386 freight corridors that link Porto Alegre to Mercosur neighbours Argentina and Uruguay. Porto Alegre’s Salgado Filho Airport handled 2.6 million passengers in the first nine months of 2025; operators now advise passengers to arrive at least two hours earlier than normal and monitor mobile push alerts for last-minute schedule changes.
For travellers heading to or transiting through Brazil, keeping travel documents current is as critical as monitoring storm updates. VisaHQ’s streamlined platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) helps individuals and corporate mobility teams secure Brazilian visas and extensions, track application status in real time and get guidance on embassy closures or courier delays that bad weather can trigger—so itineraries stay on course even when the forecast does not.
![Severe-Storm Alert for Rio Grande do Sul Poses New Mobility Headaches for Southern Brazil]()
Business-critical infrastructure is also at risk. Energy distributor CEEE-Equatorial said it has pre-positioned repair crews and mobile generators near industrial parks that host automotive, food-processing and IT facilities. Companies with expatriate staff in the Novo Hamburgo and Caxias do Sul clusters have circulated shelter-in-place guidance and refreshed emergency contact trees in Portuguese, Spanish and English.
Mobility specialists note that December is peak relocation season for families moving before the school year. Road movers transporting household effects from São Paulo to the south have been advised to reroute via the inland BR-153 where possible, adding cost and up to a day of transit time. Insurance providers remind employers that damage caused by “acts of nature” often carries higher deductibles; they suggest photographing cargo before departure to smooth any claims.
While the alert is expected to lapse by Tuesday morning, INMET cautions that further systems may develop as warm, moist air from the Amazon collides with cold fronts from Patagonia. Mobility managers are therefore urged to maintain elevated readiness levels until after the Christmas weekend.
According to INMET, rainfall could reach 100 millimetres in 24 hours, threatening flash floods on the BR-116 and BR-386 freight corridors that link Porto Alegre to Mercosur neighbours Argentina and Uruguay. Porto Alegre’s Salgado Filho Airport handled 2.6 million passengers in the first nine months of 2025; operators now advise passengers to arrive at least two hours earlier than normal and monitor mobile push alerts for last-minute schedule changes.
For travellers heading to or transiting through Brazil, keeping travel documents current is as critical as monitoring storm updates. VisaHQ’s streamlined platform (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) helps individuals and corporate mobility teams secure Brazilian visas and extensions, track application status in real time and get guidance on embassy closures or courier delays that bad weather can trigger—so itineraries stay on course even when the forecast does not.
Business-critical infrastructure is also at risk. Energy distributor CEEE-Equatorial said it has pre-positioned repair crews and mobile generators near industrial parks that host automotive, food-processing and IT facilities. Companies with expatriate staff in the Novo Hamburgo and Caxias do Sul clusters have circulated shelter-in-place guidance and refreshed emergency contact trees in Portuguese, Spanish and English.
Mobility specialists note that December is peak relocation season for families moving before the school year. Road movers transporting household effects from São Paulo to the south have been advised to reroute via the inland BR-153 where possible, adding cost and up to a day of transit time. Insurance providers remind employers that damage caused by “acts of nature” often carries higher deductibles; they suggest photographing cargo before departure to smooth any claims.
While the alert is expected to lapse by Tuesday morning, INMET cautions that further systems may develop as warm, moist air from the Amazon collides with cold fronts from Patagonia. Mobility managers are therefore urged to maintain elevated readiness levels until after the Christmas weekend.
