Light Snow in Southern Brazil on First Day of Spring!

A typical La Nina generally results in a cooler-than-normal start to spring planting in southern Brazil and that is what is happening this year. Temperatures this September have been colder-than-normal across southern Brazil. In fact, there were scattered frosts in southern Brazil late last week with light snow in five municipalities in the higher elevations of Santa Catarina.

The city of Sao Joaquin, Santa Catarina, which is 1,353 meters in elevation, recorded light snow last Friday morning, which was the first day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Snow and frost in Brazil during September is very unusual. The last time Brazil recorded snow during the month of September was in 2012.

As far as crop damage is concerned, the cold temperatures may have impacted some fruit crops in the area and maybe a little winter wheat, but there was probably no impact on the early planted corn and soybeans because the frosts occurred outside the main production areas in the state.

Tags: winter wheat, soybeans, La Nina, frosts, snow, spring planting, fruit crops, corn, Brazil