Brazil is host to a variety of micro climates and rio de janeiro specifically can experience torrential rain for short bursts of time - in 2010 heavy rains caused major devastation in some urban areas of rio de janeiro, killing dozens of people and destroying entire hillside neighborhoods.

in 2011 heavy rains caused what has been declared one of the biggest natural disasters in brazil, affecting hundreds of people in the area surrounding the city - the devastation went as far as the touristic towns of petrópolis and nova friburgo.

cases of intense rain, which has severe consequences are rare, more commonly sudden down pours can create a variety of inconveniences - safety hazards can present themselves in ways unfamiliar to most out of country visitors and range from flooding in the streets, road blocks and backed up traffic.

under normal conditions street traffic in rio de janeiro can be hectic but the rain makes the roads even more chaotic as some cariocas are not used to driving on wet roads - individuals driving old cars, speeding or driving excessively slow are some of the risks during torrential rains.