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Catastrophic sandstorms leave at least 6 dead in Brazil

Videos posted on social media showed towering, apocalyptic-looking dust clouds enveloping the region and pummeling the landscape.

By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer

Updated Oct 11, 2021 6:32 AM EDT

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A massive sandstorm was seen sweeping through Ilha Solteira, Brazil, on Oct. 2. Multiple sandstorms have occurred in the region in recent weeks as drought grips parts of Brazil.

It's been weeks since residents in southeastern Brazil have been able to scope a clear view of the horizon -- and months since the country's been able to break free from its ongoing drought.

Blame for the shrouded horizon can be cast upon the widespread sandstorms that have been running roughshod over the country's southeast region, leaving behind a layer of sediment on houses, cars and entire neighborhoods. Towns and cities throughout the densely populated area of São Paulo have felt the impact of the sandstorms that have turned fatal.

At least six fatalities in recent weeks have been blamed on the unusually powerful storms, with deaths being caused by falling trees, damage to houses and other storm-related destruction. Over that time, multiple sandstorms have erupted in the region, with wind speeds reaching as high as 62 mph, AFP reported. Video footage posted on social media has shown towering, apocalyptic-looking brown dust clouds storming across the landscape and even over water, dropping sediment from the sky as they bear down on buildings.

According to AFP, the drought is the country's worst in more than 90 years and is responsible for stirring up the catastrophic dust storms, known as haboobs. Haboobs are characterized by a wall of blowing dust and dirt. They can cause a rapid drop in visibility in a matter of a few minutes or even less.

Four of those fatalities occurred last week in the São Paulo cities of Tupã and Santo Antônio do Aracanguá, according to The Brazilian Report. Prior to the arrival of the deadly dust storms, a devastating fire broke out in Santo Antônio do Aracanguá on Oct. 1, killing three others. The fire has been partially blamed on the drought, which has caused vegetation to become dangerously dry and flammable.

As firefighters began to partially corral the blaze, strong winds hit the fire, triggering a cloud of dust and causing the flames to return with more intensity, a local media outlet reported. The fire has also been blamed on three other injuries and the deaths of more than 80 animals.

"Sandstorms normally form during the transition period from the driest season, which was winter, to the wetter season, which tends to be between spring and summer," local meteorologist Dóris Palma told the outlet in Portuguese. "The gust fronts that form before this storm arrives cause strong gales, which literally raises all the dust, keeping that aspect well darkened. When the heavy clouds form and gather with all the dust, we have a very good sky. Dark, a very scary aspect."

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys, that dry season was even drier than usual. On average, São Paulo sees 16.96 inches of precipitation from March through September. This year, that precipitation totaled just 6.50 inches, 38 percent of normal.

A massive sandstorm forms a wall as it sweeps through Ilha Solteira, Brazil, on Oct. 2. Multiple sandstorms in the region have turned fatal, induced by the devastating drought conditions.

(AFP / @pedrohlar)

"The drought has been particularly bad across Brazil this year," he said. "The big reason for this drought can be attributed to the moderate La Niña. This allowed the dry season which typically comes to an end in early spring to linger into October."

As if the lack of precipitation wasn't enough, a bout of extreme temperatures even further dried out the interior portion of the country.

"A significant heat wave also occurred during those months across interior Brazil," Roys said. "So the wet season, Brazil's summer months, started late and then ended early, around February. The dry season doesn't kick off until May."

Drought impacts go far beyond Brazil

It's no secret that Brazil is one of the most important exporters of coffee beans in the world, so it should be no surprise that devastating weather conditions in the country are directly impacting the price of coffee in countries thousands of miles away. The hub of the country's coffee bean production is in those southeast states that have been most directly impacted by the year's adverse weather.

According to The Associated Press, two rounds of frost in July "blew a hole" in the country's coffee output, particularly with the popular Arabica bean. While that impact has been felt in the short term, with Arabica wholesale prices spiking to more than $2 per pound, coffee market analyst Carlos Mera of Rabobank told the AP that the real blow will be felt in the harvests of 2022 and 2023.

Bags of coffee are on display at Vigilante Coffee, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in College Park, Md. A confluence of supply chain problems, drought, frost and inflation all point to the price of your cup of morning coffee going up. The tricky part is trying to figure when — and how much. A sustained drought followed by two July frosts blew a hole in Brazil's coffee output, sending futures contract prices for the popular Arabica bean to near seven-year highs. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Mera said estimates of the weather's impact vary between two million and six million fewer bags of coffee being produced from the country, a production blip that will almost certainly mean pricier cups of joe, if not this year than next.

“That is just going to contribute to more demand that is going to further disrupt operations and make it more difficult for operators who are already experiencing supply issues,” Grace Wood, an industry analyst for market research firm IBISWorld, told the AP.

Roys also added that Brazil's other major agricultural export, corn, has been severely impacted as well.

"The second corn crop was highly impacted by the drought it was delayed in getting planted due to soybeans being late," he said. "So combine the delay in planting with the start of the dry season earlier, around 25 percent of the corn crop was lost."

In other news:

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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.

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