Dry and mild conditions are in store for much of Brazil, as well as areas along the Pacific coast this winter.
Dryness to bring drought concerns to Brazil While winter is typically the driest time of the year for Brazil, much of the country will be drier than normal this season, including some of the country’s croplands.
The dryness will result in a growing drought concern, especially in some of the southeastern areas.
Mato Grosso is one of Brazil’s largest corn-producing states, and the worsening drought could cause this winter’s harvest to be up to 15 percent below normal, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, far southern areas, including the state of Rio Grande do Sul, will have occasional rainy spells as fronts move in from the south.
Rainy spells to cause localized flooding from Colombia to Uruguay While much of the season will be dry across Brazil, spells of wet weather will dampen areas around around Colombia and Venezuela.
Early-season rain could impact the construction of Colombia’s Ituango dam, the country’s largest dam project.
“[This area] will experience frequent fronts and near- to above-normal rainfall,” Nicholls said.
Warm, dry weather to dominate across Chile, central Argentina A warm and dry pattern is set to unfold along the Pacific coast from Peru through much of Chile and into central Argentina.
“A steady parade of storms will lead to frequent [rainfall] across southern portions of Chile and Argentina,“ Nicholls said.

Warmth will be the trend across much of Argentina and the Pacific Coast this autumn, with dryness leading to drought concerns in some areas.
Meanwhile, rounds of rain will limit temperatures and dryness across much of northern and eastern South America.
Rain to frequent northern, central South America Rounds of rain will soak much of the northern tier of South America this autumn, limiting drought concerns.
While rain frequents northern and eastern Brazil, drier conditions are in the forecast for southern regions of the country.
“Southern Brazil, namely Rio Grande Do Sul to Parana, will start the season drier than normal before trending toward a more active and wetter pattern later in the season,” Nicholls said.
“The wet pattern can lead to harvesting delays, but far southern Rio Grande So Sul can average drier than normal for the season,“ Nicholls added.
Drought concerns to build in Argentina, Uruguay The dry conditions persisting across Argentina this summer will continue into the autumn, putting the country at risk for drought.
These areas will continue to average drier than normal through the autumn,” Nicholls said.
“The drier- and warmer-than-normal pattern will likely further stress corn and soybeans [grown across the region] as they push into maturing,” Nicholls said.
Similar conditions are expected for northern and central Chile with waves of heat in March and April, including in the capital of Santiago.

Frequent rain to limit summer heat from northern Argentina through central Brazil As northeastern Brazil faces a worsening drought, much of the country is forecast to receive plenty of rain and thunderstorms throughout the season.
The widespread rain will also help to limit extreme heat from building across the region.
A few heat waves are still possible, but they are expected to be brief before the rains return.
Rounds of rain will also help to reduce drought concerns across Colombia and Venezuela, countries that have faced extreme drought in recent years.
This includes Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and Lima, the capital of Peru.
Summer heat to scorch Chile, Argentina Some of the hottest weather across South America this summer will focus on Chile and Argentina as hot and dry conditions prevail across the region.
Heat waves will be common across the region, including in Santiago, Chile, and Córdoba, Argentina.
“The summer is usually the driest part of the year for much of Chile and central and southern Argentina, so we are not expecting much rain, if any, in these areas,” Nicholls said.
Last summer, high demands for electricity during heat waves led to power cuts in Argentina.
“Far southern parts of Chile and Argentina can have some rain on occasion, especially later in the summer,” Nicholls said.

2017 South America spring forecast: Drought to persist in eastern Brazil; Frequent storms to pose flood risk to Chile, Argentina.
Dry weather will be the theme for much of eastern and northern South America this spring, which will raise drought concerns as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, frequent storms will bring the threat for flooding farther south in parts of Chile and Argentina.
Drought to worsen across eastern Brazil The threat for drought will loom for Brazil in the coming months as dry conditions dominate the weather pattern.
While drought concerns grow across much of Brazil, other parts of the country will see more frequent rain.
“Areas farther south in Brazil, and into Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina have had adequate rains during the winter and we expect near- to slightly above-normal rainfall in these area for the spring as a whole,” Nicholls said.
There is some concern that the rain may become less frequent by November in this area; however, it is unlikely that drought will begin to set in.
Dry pattern to raise drought concerns from Colombia to French Guiana Winter rains have helped to ease drought conditions across northern areas of South America; however, dry conditions are poised to return in the coming months.
Rounds of rain to bring flood threat to Chile, Argentina While many areas of South America cope with drier-than-normal conditions during the spring months, wet weather will be more common in southern regions of the continent.
“Frequent storms are likely across southern Chile into southern Argentina during September into October with the risk of flooding in these areas,” Nicholls said.

2017 South America winter forecast: Drought to worry Colombia, Venezuela; Frequent storms to strike Chile, Argentina.
Meanwhile, warm waters in the Pacific Ocean will help to spread rain across much of the western countries of South America.
Argentina to face more rain, mountain snow than last winter 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 near- to slightly above-normal rainfall in cities such as Buenos Aires,” AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
Drought concerns to return to Colombia, Venezuela 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.
Warm waters off the coast of Brazil may keep drought conditions from returning to far northeastern Brazil, Nicholls said.
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.
Wet winter on tap from Chile to Peru Frequent storms will bring rounds of rain and mountain snow to Chile this winter with the tracks of the storms shifting as the season progresses.
“The warm waters over the Pacific Ocean will lead to wetter-than-normal conditions from Ecuador and Peru into Bolivia,” Nicholls said.

South-side Tucsonans mobilize for another water-pollution struggle.
Robles, who has lived in that area for most of her 55 years, is organizing an effort to gather hundreds of written legal claims alleging that water contamination is causing illness in the area — claims that could ultimately lead to a lawsuit.
Such claims and litigation are nothing new on the south side, where groundwater has been known to be tainted with cancer-causing trichloroethylene since 1981.
In both cases, the residents won financial settlements from Hughes Aircraft Co. and other parties held liable for dumping TCE into the ground as long ago as the late 1940s.
However, it wasn’t known to exist in the area’s groundwater until 2002.
At a community meeting last Monday, hundreds of residents packed a south-side ballroom to hear Robles and an attorney who won well over $100 million in various TCE legal settlements, Richard Gonzales, discuss the past and possible future legal cases.
Second, residents would have to prove that they’ve been drinking contaminated water in recent years.
In the past two weeks, the residents got potentially good news from state authorities.
On April 3, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality official William Ellett emailed Robles that the department has asked the Arizona Department of Health Services to “look into doing a health consultation for TCE and 1-4 dioxane” concerning pollution near Tucson International Airport, and examining the pollution’s possible association with cancer and lupus.
Linda Robles recounts her family health issues as she sits in her studio apartment near South Sixth Avenue and West 29th Street.

Rain and thunderstorms will frequent much of South America this autumn as wet weather occurs from Argentina to parts of Colombia and Venezuela.
Drought to improve in Colombia, Venezuela but worsen in northeastern Brazil The drought gripping Colombia and Venezuela will improve with a wet pattern continuing into autumn.
This includes helping to raise the water level at the Guri Dam, one of the largest water reservoirs on Earth.
While rain helps to improve the drought in Colombia and Venezuela, dry weather will cause drought conditions to worsen in Brazil.
Some rain is expected to move over these areas throughout the season; however, below-normal rainfall will cause the drought to persist and possibly worsen.
Rounds of rain, thunderstorms to slam Argentina to southern Brazil An active weather pattern is on tap for much of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil this season as waves of rain and thunderstorms move across the region.
“It seems like there will be an active weather pattern with no prolonged dry periods and near- to above-normal rainfall,” Miller said.
The threat for thunderstorms will be mainly early in the season before gradually tapering off as the fronts deliver steadier rain instead, AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said.
Most of Chile should see near-normal rainfall, but a few pockets could receive above-normal rainfall, Miller added.
Warm, dry weather is also on tap for southern Argentina and southern Peru.