During the month of October 2004 there was a visible change in the atmospheric flow pattern and rainfall distribution over Brazil. In the first fortnight the rainfall increased in the western parts of Northeast Region, South Region and in southern parts of Southeast Region of Brazil. In the northern parts of Southeast Region and the western parts of the Northeast Region the rainfall frequency increased in the last week of the month and was associated with frontal passages. In general, there was less rainfall in the northern parts of Goias and Minas Gerais states, especially in the upper São Francisco river basin.

In the equatorial Pacific the area of warmer-than-normal Sea Surface Temperature (SST) increased. It is important to remember that warmer waters area increase started last July. The meteorological world centers consider this observed tendency the beginning of the warm phase of an ENSO event in the equatorial Pacific.

The western Amazon Basin, the southern Parana Basin and the Uruguay Basin registered increased precipitation during the month, thus recovering their runoff levels.

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