Heat wave in southern Brazil prompts five cities to suspend classes

SAO PAULO (AP) — Five cities in southern Brazil suspended classes Thursday due to a heat wave, authorities said, as temperatures in some places rose as high as 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit).

Rio Grande, one of the five cities — all of which are in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul — said its schools were not equipped to handle the extreme heat. Classes were expected to resume on Monday.

The National Institute of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for Rio Grande do Sul and four other Brazilian states. Affected areas have experienced temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 F) above the monthly average.

Extreme weather events affected at least 1.17 million children in Brazil last year, primarily involving floods and droughts, according to a UNESCO report in January. Most were in Rio Grande do Sul, where more than 740,000 missed classes during the floods that devastated the state in May 2024.

Daniel Cara, an education policy researcher at University of Sao Paulo, said schools historically have had to close in the dry season because of wildfire dangers or a lack of water. Now, school closures due to extreme heat have become more common, he said.

“This is going to be the new normal,” he said in a telephone interview. “Climate issues have always put pressure on the school calendar. Now, the new factor is that heat waves and the lack of air conditioning will make class cancellations a regular occurrence.”

Brazilians have endured heat waves with scorching temperatures this summer. In February, Rio de Janeiro recorded its hottest day in at least a decade, with temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111 F).