Five cities in southern Brazil suspended classes on Thursday due to an intense heat wave, authorities reported, with temperatures soaring up to 36 degrees Celsius in some areas.
Among the affected cities, Rio Grande—located in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul—announced that its schools lacked the infrastructure to cope with extreme heat. Classes are expected to resume on Monday.
The National Institute of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for Rio Grande do Sul and four other states, as temperatures in some regions have risen up to 5 degrees Celsius above the monthly average.
According to a January UNESCO report, extreme weather events impacted at least 1.17 million children in Brazil last year, mainly due to floods and droughts. The hardest-hit region was Rio Grande do Sul, where over 740,000 students were unable to attend school following the devastating floods of May 2024.
Daniel Cara, an education policy researcher at the University of São Paulo, noted that while school closures during the dry season have traditionally occurred due to wildfires or water shortages, extreme heat has now become a significant factor.
“This is the new normal,” he said in a phone interview. “Climate issues have always disrupted the school calendar, but now, heat waves and the lack of air conditioning are making class cancellations increasingly common.”
Brazil has been experiencing relentless heat waves this summer. In February, Rio de Janeiro recorded its hottest day in at least a decade, with temperatures soaring to 44 degrees Celsius.
