Heat Wave Continues Across Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia

A heat wave that began to grip central parts of South America on Tuesday will build over the next few days bringing near record heat to some areas.

Temperatures will average 6-12 C (10-20 F) above normal across a large swath of South America through the weekend.

Cities that will experience the extreme heat include Asuncion in Paraguay, Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia and Sao Paulo and Brasilia in Brazil.

While the heat continues to sizzle in those areas, a slow-moving cold front will produce daily showers and thunderstorms across northern Argentina, Uruguay and the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. These thunderstorms will limit the heat felt, keeping temperatures closer to seasonable levels.

Early next week, this front will finally lift northward spreading showers and thunderstorms through Bolivia, Paraguay and much of southern Brazil. This will erase the extreme heat with temperatures closer to normal for this time of the year.

The rainfall will also be welcome in these areas as an ongoing drought has plagued water supplies and crops for over a year.

Rainfall has averaged around only 50 percent of normal this year in eastern Brazil, leading to water rationing in some areas.

Also, the Brazilian coffee crop has been negatively impacted by the drought, and the ongoing heat is only making matters worse.

Brazil is the top producer of Arabica coffee, so any impacts on the crop will have major influences around the globe.

Market prices have already reached two-year highs, and this will likely lead to increased prices for consumers in the coming months.

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