GEO Brasil - UNEP

the state of environmental disasters
the state of the environment in Brazil
The tornadoes are phenomena with a high power of concentrated destruction,
that is, damages occur along the way it ran only For this reason, it is considered
the most violent atmospheric disturbance phenomenon This event is
denominated waterspout when it occurs on water surface only, for example, on
the sea or a lake (Figure 3)
Figure 3-Tornado/waterspout spots
There are several scales to measure
the intensity of a tornado, but the
most internationally accepted scale is
the Fujita Scale, elaborated in 1957 by
T Theodore Fujita, from the University
of Chicago This scale is based on the
destruction rate caused on the
structures, the size, diameter or speed
of the tornado It is not about
measuring it, but assessing the
damage caused The scale has six
degrees (from 0 to 5), that are preceded
by the letter “F” in its author’s honour
In Brazil, the tornadoes are of levels
F0 and F1, which correspond to the
speeds of 60-100 km/h and 100-180
km/h, respectively
The tornadoes occur in all continents
In Brazil, they are rare and occur mainly
in the South and Southeast regions,
specially in the states of São Paulo,
Paraná and Santa Catarina There are
also tornado records in the North
Region The following occurrences are
highlighted, according to the
tornado’s impact:
The accompanying number refers to the year the prenomenon occurred
Source: Dimitrie Nechet/UFPA
Figure 4 - Average monthly hail falls in Paraná State.
State of Santa Catarina State –
1959 – 34 deceased;
Tamandaré/Paraná – May/1992, 6
deceased and 33 injured, F0
Itu/São Paulo – September/1991
(*) São Paulo/São Paulo – April/
1991
Jacareacanga/Pará –1975, F0
Ponta Porã/Mato Grosso do Sul
– October/1999, 1 deceased e 13
injured
7,0
6,0
5,0
4,0
3,0
2,0
1,0
0,0
Jan (0,2)
Fev (0,0)
Mar (0,1)
Abr (0,2)
Mai (0,5)
Jun (0,5)
Jul (0,3)
Ago (0,8)
Set (3,3)
Out (6,1)
Nov (1,2)
Dez (0,5)
Source: State Co-ordination of Civil Defence. Period: Jan/1980 - Dec/1999
(*) Brazilian Meteorology Magazine,
by Silva Dias, MA and
Grammelsbacher, EA Rev Bras
Met 6, 513-522
47
Hail
In Brazil, the regions that are mostly
stricken by hail are: South, Southeast
and south of MidWest Region,
specially in plateau areas, and the
States of Santa Catarina, Paraná and
Rio Grande do Sul
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