a major issue in rio de janeiro when it rains is the heavy traffic and congestion throughout the city, as the water basically forms cascades, falling down from the mountains and flooding the streets - many are also conscious of entering the ocean after long periods of heavy rain as the sea can be polluted - this is also due to the fact that the city was built over swamp-terrain.  

contributing to the negative association with rain, is that deep within the collective consciousness of the city are memories of landslides, which devastated the lives of so many people in the past - in spite of this, the fundamental and creative role of rainfall is acknowledged.

cariocas understand how it nurtures the flora of the city and is necessary for the continuation and prosperity of human life - in a joshing spirit, cariocas joke that the aversion to rain is actually out of women's desire to keep their well-groomed and glamorous hairstyles in tact.