Rio de Janeiro has recorded 33 days of heat stress this summer, with temperatures consistently surpassing 36°C since the season began, according to data from the city's Heat Panel. This figure accounts for more than half of the 61 days in the season counted until Thursday, suggesting that thermal stress has been a predominant feature of the city's hottest time of year. On Friday, the city returned to level 1 of the Extreme Heat Protocol after spending eight consecutive days at levels 2 and 3.

The increased days of thermal stress this summer, which featured heat indices between 36°C and 40°C, are attributed to a combination of high temperatures and elevated humidity levels, as stated by the Operations and Resilience Center (COR-Rio). The weather patterns observed mirror those from last summer, where 46 days of thermal stress were recorded within the 89 days of that season, indicating a concerning trend in rising temperatures and discomfort for residents.

The return to level 1 of the Extreme Heat Protocol signals an attempt by city officials to manage and mitigate the effects of severe heat on public health and safety. The ongoing occurrences of extreme heat not only affect everyday life in Rio but could also lead to broader implications for climate adaptation and urban planning in the face of global warming and increasing weather volatility.