Rio de Janeiro recorded its hottest day in at least a decade when temperatures on Monday reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) — about 145 degrees warmer than Bismarck, North Dakota — as residents flocked to the ocean to try to cool off.

It was the highest temperature since the southeastern Brazilian city started a climate alert system just over 10 years ago. The second-highest was 43.8°C in November 2023.

City officials issued an alert for extreme heat for the coming days, set up hydration stations and prepared the public health system to handle an increase in heat-related cases.

Raquel Franco, chief meteorologist of the Rio Alert System, said the previous heat record for February in the city was 41.8C, recorded in February 2023.

With no rain on the horizon, “we may have one of the driest Februarys in history,” Franco said.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes on Sunday ruled out canceling Carnival festivities that ramp up over the coming weeks, but he recommended that revelers take precautions.

“We are expecting the hottest summer in recent years,” Rio’s health secretary Daniel Soranz told AFP on Monday.

“In January, more than 3,000 people were treated in municipal emergency services due to the intense heat,” particularly for sunburns and dehydration, Soranz said, adding this was more than double the numbers seen in recent years.

There has been heightened concern about heat at public events in Brazil since a Taylor Swift fan died during her Eras Tour concert in Rio during the November 2023 heat wave.

In Copacabana, wilting doorman Robson Oliveira stopped to take a picture of an electronic display showing the temperature at 39C.

“This heat is unbearable,” he told AFP.

“I’m not used to it. It’s about time for a little rain to cool off.”

The weather picture was decidedly different in the U.S. on Monday. The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 50 Fahrenheit in parts of Montana and minus 60 Fahrenheit in parts of North Dakota. The temperature in Bismarck, North Dakota on Monday reached a low of minus 35 Fahrenheit. 

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.

In:
• Brazil
• Heat