Drought eases in Brazil, Monitor says

According to the latest update of the Drought Monitor, between October and November, in terms of drought severity, there was a softening of the phenomenon in 16 states of the Federation: Acre, Amazonas, Bahia, Federal District, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, Roraima, São Paulo and Tocantins. In the opposite direction, in eight other states of the Federation the drought intensified during this period: Alagoas, Ceará, Maranhão, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe. In Rio Grande do Sul, the phenomenon was again observed after a sequence of 13 months without drought. In two other states, the phenomenon remained stable in terms of severity during this period: Amapá and Santa Catarina.

Considering the five geopolitical regions monitored by the Drought Monitor, the South had the mildest condition of the phenomenon in November, while the North had the most severe situation, registering exceptional drought – the most intense on the Monitor's scale. Between October and November, there was a softening of the phenomenon in all five regions of Brazil. Considering the extension of the area with drought, the phenomenon expanded in the Northeast and South. Only in the Southeast did the area with drought have a slight reduction. Both in the Center-West and in the North, the extension of the phenomenon remained stable.

In the comparison between October and November, four states recorded an increase in the area affected by drought: Alagoas, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Santa Catarina. In Rio Grande do Sul, the phenomenon was recorded again after 13 months. In the opposite direction, the Monitor verified a decrease in the area affected by the phenomenon in three other states: Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Roraima. In 19 other states of the Federation, the area affected by drought remained stable: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rondônia, São Paulo, Sergipe and Tocantins.

Eighteen states of the Federation recorded drought across 100% of their territory in November of this year: Acre, Alagoas, Federal District, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia, São Paulo, Sergipe and Tocantins. In the other states of the Federation, the percentages varied from 4% to 99%.

Based on the territory of each unit of the Federation monitored, Amazonas leads the total area with drought in November, followed by Pará, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and Bahia. In total, between October and November, the area with the phenomenon remained at the level of 7,85 million km², equivalent to 92% of the Brazilian territory.

Situation by State

Acre

Between May and November, the drought area remained present throughout the entire territory of Acre. This is the first time that the state has recorded drought in 100% of its territory for seven consecutive months since November 2022, when AC entered the Monitor Map.

In terms of severity, the phenomenon eased between October and November, as extreme drought was no longer recorded in Acre. This is the mildest condition of the phenomenon in the state since June of this year.

Alagoas

Between October and November, the area affected by drought in Alagoas increased from 85% to 100%. Since February 2021, this is the first time that the state has recorded the phenomenon across its entire territory.

Alagoas recorded an intensification of the phenomenon with the area with severe drought growing from 6% to 32% of the state between October and November. This is the most severe drought in the state of Alagoas since April 2021, when there was severe drought in 34% of the state.

Amapá

Between October and November, the area with drought remained at the level of 82% of Amapá

The severity of the phenomenon remained stable in Amapá between September and November, with moderate drought remaining at 3% of the Amapá territory. In addition, Amapá had the mildest drought conditions among the northern states in November.

Amazon

The area with drought in Amazonas continued in 99% of the state between October and November

Between October and November, the drought in the state of Amazonas eased, with the area with exceptional drought reducing from 26% to 16% of the Amazon territory. Even so, the state had the most intense drought conditions in Brazil among all the states of the Federation in November.

Bahia

The area with drought decreased slightly from 93% to 91% of Bahia between October and November

The phenomenon eased in Bahia between October and November, with the area with moderate drought reducing from 49% to 21% of the state. This is the mildest condition in Bahia since August 2024.

Ceará

The area with drought in Ceará increased from 76% to 87% of the state between October and November. It is the largest area with drought in the state since the 100% recorded in January of this year. Even so, Ceará had the lowest percentage of area with drought in the Northeast in November.

The drought intensified in Ceará between October and November with a sharp increase in the area with moderate drought from 5% to 38% of the state in that period

Federal District

Between May and November, the area with drought remained present in 100% of the Federal District. Since the period between May and November 2022, this is the first time that the DF has recorded drought across its entire territory for seven consecutive months.

The drought eased in the Federal District between October and November, as moderate drought was no longer observed in the Federal District, where there was only mild drought, which is the mildest on the Monitor's scale. As a result, the Federal District had the best conditions for the phenomenon in the Central-West in November.

Espírito Santo

Between June and November, the area with drought remained at 100% of Espírito Santo. Since the period between June and November 2022, this is the first time that the state has recorded six consecutive months of drought across its entire territory.

Between October and November, the drought eased in Espírito Santo with a sharp reduction in the area with moderate drought from 50% to 32% of the state. In addition, the state of Espírito Santo had the mildest drought conditions among the states of the Southeast in November.

Goiás

The drought area remained at 100% of Goiás between July and November. Since the period between June and October 2022, this is the first time that the phenomenon has been recorded for five consecutive months in the state.

The drought eased in Goiás between October and November, with the area with severe drought reducing from 47% to 27% of the state during this period.

Maranhao

Between October and November, the area with drought remained stable in 100% of Maranhão. Since the period from November 2017 to January 2018, this is the first time that the state has recorded drought across its entire territory for three consecutive months.

The phenomenon intensified in Maranhão with the increase in the area of ​​severe drought, which went from 3% to 15% of the state between October and November. This is the most severe condition of the phenomenon in Maranhão since September 2018, when there was severe drought in 228% of the state.

Mato Grosso

Mato Grosso continued to experience drought across its entire territory between July and November. Since June 2021, when MT entered the Monitor Map, this is the first time that the state has recorded drought across 100% of its territory for five consecutive months.

There was an easing of the drought in Mato Grosso between October and November, as there was a reduction in areas with severe drought and moderate drought in the state

Mato Grosso do Sul

In Mato Grosso do Sul, the drought area remained throughout the state between July and November. Since the period between March and July 2022, this is the first time that the state has recorded five consecutive months of the phenomenon throughout the entire territory of Mato Grosso do Sul.

The drought intensified in Mato Grosso do Sul between October and November, with the area with severe drought increasing from 56% to 67% of the state. As a result, MS had the most severe condition of the phenomenon in the Central-West in November in the Central-West

Minas Gerais

Between July and November, Minas Gerais continued to experience drought across 100% of its territory. Since Minas Gerais entered the Monitor Map in November 2018, this is the first time that the state has recorded the phenomenon across its entire territory for five consecutive months.

In Minas Gerais, the drought eased between October and November, with a significant reduction in the area with severe drought from 24% to 4% of the state. This is the best condition of the phenomenon in the state since June of this year.

Para

Pará continued to experience drought across 100% of its territory between August and November. This is the first time that the state has recorded the phenomenon for four consecutive months since its entry into the Monitor Map in April 2023.

Between October and November, there was an intensification of the drought in Pará with the advance of severe drought from 17% to 21% of the Pará territory in this period. It is the most intense condition of the phenomenon in the state since April 2023, when Pará entered the Monitor Map

Paraíba

Paraíba recorded drought across its entire territory between September and November. Since the period from October to December 2021, this is the first time that the state has had drought across 100% of its territory for three consecutive months.

Between October and November, the drought intensified in Paraíba with a sharp increase in the area with moderate drought from 8% to 92% of its territory. This is the most severe condition in the state since January of this year, when there was severe drought in 1% of the state's territory.

Paraná

Between August and November, the area with drought remained at 72% of Paraná. It is the largest area with the phenomenon in the state since May 2022, when the phenomenon was recorded in 98% of the state's territory. In November, Paraná was the southern state with the highest percentage of area with drought records.

Between October and November, the drought eased in Paraná, with the area with severe drought reducing from 24% to 21% of the state. In addition, Paraná had the most severe drought among the southern states in November.

Pernambuco

Pernambuco continued to experience drought across 100% of its territory between September and November. This is the first time that the state has recorded drought across its entire area for two consecutive months since January and March 2021.

The drought eased in Pernambuco between October and November, as severe drought was no longer recorded in the state during this period

Piaui

Between September and November, the area with drought in Piauí remained at 100% of the state. Since the period between October and December 2023, it is the first time that the Piauí territory has registered the phenomenon throughout the state for three consecutive months.

The drought eased in Piauí between October and November, as severe drought was no longer recorded in the state during this period

Rio de Janeiro

The area affected by drought reduced from 100% to 73% of the state of Rio de Janeiro between October and November. This is the smallest area affected by drought in the state since the 42% recorded in May this year in Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, the state was the only one in the Southeast to record drought-free areas in November.

The drought eased in the State of Rio de Janeiro between October and November with the area with moderate drought reducing from 67% to 40% of RJ

Rio Grande do Norte

The area with drought in Rio Grande do Norte increased from 95% to 100% of the state between October and November. It is the largest area with drought in the state since November 2023, when there was drought in the entire state of RN

The drought intensified in Rio Grande do Norte between October and November, with the area with moderate drought increasing from 12% to 20% of the state. This is the most severe condition of the phenomenon in the state since the 44% moderate drought recorded in January of this year. On the other hand, RN had the worst drought conditions among the northeastern states in November.

Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul once again recorded an area with drought (4%) in November. Since October 2023, the state has remained drought-free. Despite this, the state had the best condition in Brazil in November

After Rio Grande do Sul remained drought-free for 13 consecutive months, the state once again experienced mild drought in November. Even so, the state's drought conditions were the best in Brazil in November.

Rondônia

The area with drought remained at 100% of Rondônia between July and November. Since the period between November 2023 and March of this year, it is the first time that the state has registered drought in its entirety for five consecutive months.

Between October and November, the drought eased slightly in Rondônia, with extreme drought decreasing from 12% to 11% of the state's territory. This is the mildest drought condition in the state since July of this year.

Roraima

Between October and November, Roraima saw a reduction in the area affected by drought, which fell from 32% to 28% of its territory. This is the smallest area with the phenomenon recorded in the state since it entered the Monitor Map in November 2023. In addition, Roraima had the lowest percentage of area affected by drought in the North region in November.

Between October and November, the drought eased in Roraima with the area of ​​moderate drought reducing from 20% to 14% of the state during this period. This is the mildest condition in RR since July of this year.

Santa Catarina

Santa Catarina recorded an increase in the area affected by drought from 38% to 46% between October and November

Between August and November, the severity of the phenomenon remained stable in Santa Catarina, as during the period there was only a record of weak drought, the mildest on the Monitor's scale.

São Paulo

In the State of São Paulo, the drought area continued in 100% of its territory between September and November. Since the period between July and September 2022, this is the first time that SP has recorded drought in the entire state for three consecutive months.

The drought eased in the state of São Paulo between October and November, with a significant reduction in the area with severe drought from 47% to 11% of the state. This is the mildest condition since June this year in the state. On the other hand, SP had the most severe drought among the states in the Southeast in November.

Sergipe

Between September and November, the drought-stricken area remained at 100% of Sergipe. This is the first time that the state has recorded the phenomenon across its entire territory for three consecutive months since the period from December 2023 to February this year.

Between October and November, the phenomenon intensified in Sergipe with a sharp increase in the area with severe drought, which went from 20% to 49% of the state's territory. As a result, the state had the most severe drought since March 2019, when there was severe drought in 52% of the state. Sergipe also had the most severe drought in the Northeast in November.

Tocantins

Tocantins continued with drought across 100% of its territory between July and November. Since the period between November 2023 and March of this year, this is the first time that the state has recorded drought across its entire territory for five consecutive months.

In Tocantins, the drought eased between October and November, with the area with severe drought reducing from 52% to 25% of the state. This is the mildest condition in the state since July of this year.