Two dead and several injured as tornado hits southern Brazil

A tornado that struck Xanxerê in the southern Brazil state of Santa Catarina on Monday has left more than 1000 people homeless. According to National Institute of Meteorology, a supercell storm formed the tornado. An astonishing 321 kmph wind speed was recorded.

Apart from two dead, around 120 people have been hospitalized due to injuries.

Official data shows that the state of Sao Paulo witnesses the most number of tornadoes that occur during the second half of the year.

This storm which caused the tornado wreaked havoc and damaged 500 homes. Major power outage has left many people without power. The winds were so powerful that cars were blown effortlessly, homes were left roofless.

In Brazil, tornados are not common except in the area close to the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In this region, warm and moist winds coming from the Amazon Jungle meet the cold winds coming from the Andes. This sort of convergence usually causes supercell storms.

In a previous incident back in 2009, 14 people were killed and dozens were injured when a tornado struck the region close to the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

 

IMAGE CREDIT: twobitguru.com