Drought to worry Colombia and Venezuela

Drought may continue to grip portions of Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil this winter. Meanwhile, warm waters in the Pacific Ocean will help to spread rain across much of the western countries of South America. Rounds of rain will frequent Argentina this winter as storm systems move across the country on a regular basis. “More storms are expected across central Argentina this year versus last year with nearto slightly above-normal rainfall in cities such as Buenos Aires,” AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said. Drought has plagued Colombia and Venezuela in recent years, and this winter will bring little relief to the countries. “Drought concerns will return along the Caribbean coast of the continent from northern Colombia and Venezuela to French Guiana,” Nicholls said. Northeastern Brazil has also experienced drought over the past several years, but this area may have improved conditions this winter as rain brings some relief to the region. Warm waters off the coast of Brazil may keep drought conditions from returning to far northeastern Brazil, Nicholls said.

Not all of Brazil will be drought-free, however, as a drier-than-normal weather pattern sets up farther south, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. While winter is not typically a wet time of year, drought conditions could develop in the Brazilian states of São Paulo to Minas Gerias, Nicholls said. The persistent drought could also result in a drop of the water level in Suriname’s Brokopondo storage reservoir as a result of cheap energy will become ‘scarce’ and the diesel generators of the Energy Company Suriname (EBS) will be activated and will have to run at full capacity.