Subtropical Storm Yakecan
Subtropical Storm Yakecan was a subtropical cyclone that during its path, passed through the southern region of Brazil, specifically in Rio Grande do Sul and Uruguay. The cyclone came from the sea towards the Rio Grande territory and arrived with less strength in the state of Santa Catarina, where it returned to the sea. It was the sixteenth named storm to hit Brazil since Cyclone Catarina in 2004.
Its severity was confirmed on 16 May 2022 by the National Meteorological Institute and the Brazilian Navy, which automatically classified it as an orange alert, meaning a subtropical storm. The orange level is the penultimate level of the scale, and its promotion to the red level was not ruled out. Winds of up to 100 km/h were projected, which led to both regional and federal civil defence not denying the possibility of the cyclone turning into a hurricane as it moved towards land.
Yakecan caused two fatalities in Uruguay and Brazil. The first death in Uruguay happened when strong winds caused a palm tree to fall on the roof of a house. The other case was reported in Porto Alegre, where a fisherman's boat sank in Lake Guaíba. In the state of São Paulo, the wind brought down a hot air balloon on the banks of Rodovia Castello Branco, in the rural area between the towns of Boituva and Porto Feliz, the balloon carried nine people on board who were immediately rescued. One of them was in serious condition. On the 17 May, due to the intensity of the cold air mass that accompanied the cyclone, its humidity caused freezing rain and snowfall in the higher portions of southern Santa Catarina and Paraná.
The name “Yakecan” comes from Tupi-Guarani word meaning "sound from the sky". The cyclone began to lose intensity as it moved northeastward and when it turned eastward away from the coast of São Paulo it dissipated in late 19 May, according to the CHM synoptic chart.
Meteorological history
On 15 May 2022, an extratropical cyclone moved through the southern region of Brazil and stopped offshore. The low made a retrograde movement and obtained subtropical characteristics, according to Centro de Hydrografia da Marinha. On the morning of 17 May, the cyclone transitioned into a subtropical storm, and was given the name Yakecan. During its trajectory, the storm caused snow in the Gaúcha and Catarinense Mountains, setting record lows for this time of year. The cyclone lost its subtropical characteristics and was downgraded late on 19 May to a low-pressure area.Preparations
Following confirmation of the formation of the storm on 16 May, preparations began for damage reduction and possible weather strategies.Brazil
In addition to the preparations of each state, the national civil defence was watching the storm situation with concern, thus already providing a number for emergency information via mobile phone.Rio Grande do Sul
In Rio Grande do Sul, some municipalities cancelled classes in the municipal public education network, highlighting the municipalities of: Porto Alegre, Canoas, Gravataí, Alvorada, Glorinha, Cachoeirinha, Eldorado do Sul, Guaíba, São Jerônimo, São José do Norte, Santa Vitória do Palmar, Chuí, Capão do Leão, Jaguarão, Pedro Osório, Piratini, Pinheiro Machado and Turuçu. Besides major universities in the state have confirmed changes to their timetables due to the storm, among them: Federal University of Rio Grande, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Unisinos, Federal University of Pelotas, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis, Lutheran University of Brazil, Fundação do Ministério Público, Instituto Meridiona, Universidade Feevale and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul.The civil defence together with the water and electricity companies were in a state of readiness to respond to possible calls that have already been programmed due to the strength of the storm. In Porto Alegre, the Municipal Secretariat of Social Assistance was on duty for possible accidents and assistance to homeless people, teams were approaching and referring homeless people to hostels, shelters and hostels. The city hall made available the Tesourinha Gymnasium as a reception base for the homeless population.