The month of January 2004 was marked by intense precipitation in many parts of Brazil. The rains in the form of heavy showers accompanied by strong winds were responsible for disasters such as landfalls, highway erosions, uprooting of houses, floods and water logging. The excess rainfall was caused mainly by three episodes of South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) influenced by the strengthening of the intraseasonal oscillation. In the first two episodes semi-stationary frontal systems remained over the Southeast and Northeast Regions of Brazil.

The sea-surface temperatures (SST) were higher than normal in the tropical North Atlantic and in the equatorial Atlantic. This pattern contributed to a southward position of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and to the increasing convective activity over Northeast Brazil, also associated with cyclonic vortices.

The reservoirs in the middle and upper São Francisco basin stored large amounts of water during this month. The highest amounts of precipitation were observed, in general, in the basins of Tocantins, North-Northeast Atlantic.

The Forest fires in the Northeast and northern Amazon regions were fewer in this month than in the corresponding period last year.

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