Observations: RAIN

This picture just doesn't do the sheer volume of rain the justice it deserves

When one thinks about Brazil, the first things that probably come to mind are: beaches, gorgeous people, hot weather and sunshine.  The last thing that would come to mind is rain.  But there is plenty of it.

Sao Paulo has a sub-tropical climate.  This means the weather is in a constant state of flux which generally follows this pattern:

1. Sunshine
2. Heat
3. More heat
4. Even more heat
5. Humidity
6. Higher humidity
7. Extreme humidity
8. Skies cloud over & darkness descends
9. Winds blow
10. Heavens rumble
11. Heavens open
12. Tropical rain/rainstorm
13. Rain abates
14. Temperature drops several degrees
15. Air is fresh
16. Sunshine returns & the whole cycle repeats again from step 1.

Ok, so that makes it all sound a little Biblical, but it really is rain on a Biblical scale.  The rain storms happen very quickly.  One minute you're walking down the street enjoying some blazing hot sunshine and all of a sudden everything will go dark, the sky will cloud over, a strong wind will start up and then the rain just lets rip.  You literally have minutes to find some decent cover.

Oh, and forget about an umbrella.  An umbrella will not help you in a Sao Paulo downpour, you will not be able to walk through it with the help of one.  It will help you during that first few minutes and maybe afterwards when the rain has died down a bit, but not in the middle.  In the middle there will be rivers of water rushing down the streets and massive pond-like puddles gathering between the road and the pavement.  Just resign yourself to having to wait it out if you're unlucky enough to be caught mid-walk.

The other thing I have noticed is the rain falls straight down here.  There are no angles or a direction to the rain, it falls flat like a brick (sometimes it feels like one).  This is probably because it so heavy, the raindrops can't be pushed around by the wind.  The noise is also incredible.  The raindrops hit the floor with such force: the sound is like a crowd roaring at a Premier League football match.

I once made the mistake of going out without an umbrella when the sky had just started clouding over.  I only had to walk about 20 minutes to my meeting.  I looked up at the sky and reckoned I that had enough time to get there before the rain got impossible.  I arrived 45 minutes late, looking like a drowned rat.  The guy I had the meeting with was most gentlemanly about the fact he could see straight through my t-shirt at my bra.