{
  "id": 9465454,
  "title": "Umbrellas replace beach towels as Rio endures record-wet September",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/umbrellas-replace-beach-towels-as-rio-endures-record-wet-september",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T01:51:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/09/24/umbrellas-replace-beach-towels-as-rio-endures-record-wet-september/236295"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rio de Janeiro is grappling with its wettest September in recorded history as the El Nino weather phenomenon brings unprecedented rainfalls to the nation. Typically bustling with tourists, locals, and vendors, the city's picturesque beaches have been inundated with rain and overcast skies, forcing most visitors to seek shelter indoors or rely on umbrellas and ponchos. Dutch tourist Flo van Raalte remarked, \"We're looking for museums... that's our only option. And drinking coffee all along the way in Copacabana and Ipanema.\" The city government's \"Alerta Rio\" system logged the highest September rainfall since measurements began in 1997. Brian Silva, a restaurant manager on Copacabana Beach, noted a decline in activity and tourism, though he emphasized, \"But it's still Rio, the most famous seafront in the world.\"\n\nThe exceptional rainfall, affecting various Brazilian states, is attributed to a combination of climatic factors, including El Nino. Meteorologist Estael Sias explained that some states were also experiencing cold air masses from Antarctica. The National Institute of Meteorology reported extreme weather events like lightning strikes, strong winds, tornadoes, and hail across Brazil last week, along with record September rainfall in Sao Paulo, exacerbating traffic congestion in Latin America's largest city. Saleswoman Tamires Marina from Sao Paulo described the situation as \"horrible,\" stating that September was \"just rain and more rain,\" a condition she has never encountered before.\n\nBrazil has faced extreme weather events such as floods and droughts in recent years, which experts attribute to global warming. El Nino, a natural climate variation that raises surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, brings widespread changes in wind and rain patterns. This year's El Nino, projected to be the strongest on record, poses a significant threat, potentially causing hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide due to disease and food insecurity, according to scientists and the UN.",
  "summary": "RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 24 — Brazil’s typically sun-drenched city of Rio de Janeiro is experiencing its wettest...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}