Rare Snowfall in Southern Brazilian Mountains
A forecast of heavy snowfall and record cold weather for the region is reported to have led to hotels being booked up in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina.
Temperatures potentially getting down to freezing point on the ground and to as low as -8 Celcius in the mountains, with snow forecast too, has led to huge demand for accommodation in the region, with seven key towns reported fully booked and bookings reported to be high as far as 80km/50 miles from the country’s potentially snowy area.
The coldest period of the year in late July has become an increasingly major attraction and the main towns in the region now see many private home owners helping provide accommodation to deal with the high demand. This year a snowfall in late June further increased booking enquiries.
There is an indoor snow centre and a dry ski slope in Brazil but no conventional ski area, although there were attempts to create a small ski field in the mountains of santa Caterina around 50 years ago.
However Brazilians are excited to see and touch snow in their own country if they can. São Joaquim, located 1,500 metres above sea level, is the most popular town because it is easy to reach and offers many facilities.
