Lately, São Paulo residents have been living out a song by Capital Inicial: “but it just rains and rains.” The storms hit hard inSeptember and caught the capital by surprise, turning the umbrella into an essential item— and the sun into a distant memory.
The Santana Observation Station, the National Institute of Meteorology’s main weather station, recorded 253.8 millimeters in just the first 14 days of the month. This figure makes September 2026 the rainiest in São Paulo since INMET’s historical record began in 1943!
In other words: in just two weeks, rainfall in São Paulo has already surpassed the 1983 record (243.1 millimeters) and reached more than three times the expected average for the entire month ( 83.3 millimeters).
Why does it rain so much in September in São Paulo?
You’ve surely noticed that, in addition to being rainy, this month has also been quite chilly. This string of cloudy, cold, and wet days stems from the meteorological systems (that is, the combination of atmospheric phenomena such as winds, humidity, and air pressure) currently affecting the Southeast.
The region has recently been experiencing frequent cold fronts resulting from El Niño, which favors rainfall events in São Paulo. That’s why, instead of the dry conditions many associate with the end of winter, we’re experiencing the rainiest September in São Paulo’s history.
