São Paulo's skyline shuddered Friday under the fury of an extratropical cyclone, with gusts roaring to 100 km/h toppling billboards and snapping power lines, leaving 500,000 homes in the dark by midday. The National Meteorology Institute (INMET) issued red alerts for São Paulo, Rio, and Minas Gerais, warning of flash floods as 50 mm of rain dumped in hours. "It's biblical—cars floating like toys," gasped commuter Ana Silva, 34, from her flooded Pinheiros underpass, phone flashlight cutting through the gloom.
Sirens wailed across the megalopolis as firefighters battled blazes sparked by downed wires in Vila Madalena, evacuating 200 from a collapsed awning. Governor Tarcísio de Freitas activated 5,000 troops, airlifting supplies to isolated favelas where mudslides buried shanties. In Rio, Copacabana beaches emptied as waves crashed promenades, stranding tourists like Brit backpacker Tom Ellis, 28: "Thought it was just rain—now we're soaked and scared." INMET forecaster Carla Menezes updated at 2 PM: "Peak winds easing by evening, but river swells risk overnight."
The storm, born from a cold front clashing with Atlantic warmth, mirrors 2024's deadly gales that killed 20. Economic hits mount—Santos port halted shipments, stranding Rs 1,000 crore cargo. Social media overflowed with #CicloneSP, 300,000 posts blending dashcam clips and SOS pleas. Silva, wading home: "Pray for light—and levees." As dusk loomed, crews raced—cyclone's howl a harsh wake-up for a storm-weary nation.
