World · Latin America · 2 hrs ago
Heavy rain causes major traffic disruption in São Paulo
Heavy rain hit São Paulo and caused widespread traffic delays on Wednesday.
The South Zone recorded 249 kilometres of slow traffic, the highest total among the city’s five zones.
Flooding left cars submerged on Avenida 23 de Maio and vehicles piled up in the Anhangabaú tunnel.
Water also flowed into Paraíso metro station, while Ibirapuera Park’s lake overflowed onto paths.
The rain also brought hail in Vila Mariana, and authorities recorded up to 67.8 millimetres of rain at one monitoring point.
The city suspended its car-driving restriction from 5 p.m.
to 8 p.m., but limits on heavy vehicles and charter buses remained, as did bus-only lanes.
Heavy rain caused major traffic disruption across São Paulo on Wednesday, October 14.
The South Zone recorded 249 km of slow traffic, the highest among the city’s regions.
The CET reported 124 km of slow traffic in the North Zone, 217 km in the West, 78 km in the Central Zone and 145 km in the East.
Flooding was reported on Avenida 23 de Maio, and water was seen running from the ceiling of Paraíso metro station.
The city suspended the municipal car rotation from 17:00 to 20:00, while other traffic restrictions remained in place.
- Who
- São Paulo residents and motorists were affected; the CET reported traffic conditions.
- What
- Heavy rain caused congestion, flooding and other disruption. The city suspended its municipal car rotation for three hours.
- When
- Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The car rotation was suspended from 17:00 to 20:00.
- Where
- São Paulo, including the city’s five regions, Avenida 23 de Maio and Paraíso metro station; congestion was also reported on several highways.
- Why
- Heavy rain and excess vehicles contributed to congestion.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Water was seen running from the ceiling of Paraíso metro station.
The CET reported slow traffic across all five regions of São Paulo.
The city suspended the municipal car rotation for cars.
- South Zone traffic
- 249 km of slow traffic
- West Zone traffic
- 217 km of slow traffic
- East Zone traffic
- 145 km of slow traffic
- North Zone traffic
- 124 km of slow traffic
- Central Zone traffic
- 78 km of slow traffic
- Municipal car rotation suspension
- 17:00–20:00 on October 14