Drought increased in Rio Grande do Sul in February

The drought in Brazil remains worrying, especially in the South Region. Between January and February, there was a slowdown in Paraná, with the disappearance of areas with moderate drought, according to the National Water Agency's Drought Monitor. In Santa Catarina, the severity of the phenomenon remained stable, with a weak drought in 28% of the state. However, in Rio Grande do Sul, the drought intensified, with extreme drought advancing from 20% to 34% of the state's territory.

Compared to the previous two months, the area affected by the drought in Paraná reduced from 22% to 4%. In Santa Catarina, the phenomenon remained in 28% of the territory, while in Rio Grande do Sul, the drought remained present in 100% of the state.

In the Northeast, the weak drought advanced in the east of Rio Grande do Norte and in the west and extreme north of Bahia, south of the states of Maranhão, Piauí and Pernambuco, west and south of Paraíba and northwest of Sergipe. In the Southeast Region, there was an improvement in the condition in São Paulo and Minas Gerais due to above-average rainfall. Highlight for the disappearance of the weak drought in Rio de Janeiro.

In the Central-West Region, above-average rainfall in recent months has alleviated the drought in the extreme east of Mato Grosso do Sul, on the border with São Paulo, which went from extreme to severe. However, there was a weak drought in the northeast of Goiás.

In the North Region, there was a retreat from the severe drought in Acre and the weak drought in eastern Amazonas. Furthermore, the area with moderate drought in the central-west of Amazonas was reduced.

The Drought Monitor update highlights the evolution of the phenomenon in each Region and Federation Unit, reinforcing the importance of monitoring and adopting preventive measures and combating drought in Brazil.