Rains will partly cool Brazilian coffee belt

07 Jan, 2004

A cold front will bring widespread rain and lower temperatures later this week to coffee areas in Parana state and the west of Sao Paulo state, independent meteorologist Somar forecast on Monday.
"This (weather) system will ease the heatwave at the start of the week," Somar said in a daily report.
Temperatures reached 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) in south-western Sao Paulo on Sunday.
In a 6- to 10-day forecast, Somar predicted the lingering cold front will bring further showers this weekend to northern Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais.
In December, Alegre in the south of Espirito Santo was wettest with 294 millimetres (11.6 inches) of rain, 43 pct above the 5-year average. But the key coffee area of Varginha in south Minas had only 192 mm (7.6 inches), or 33 percent below average.

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