São Paulo Blackout: Extreme Weather Leaves 1.3 Million Without Power, Hundreds of Flights Cancelled

More than 1.3 million residents in São Paulo were left without electricity on Thursday after severe weather brought powerful winds that toppled trees and damaged transmission lines across Brazil’s largest city. The disruption began on Wednesday when winds reaching nearly 100 kilometres per hour swept through the metropolitan area, leading to widespread outages and major disruptions to daily life, transport systems and essential services.

According to utility company Enel, which supplies electricity to the region, power has been restored to 1.2 million of its 2.2 million customers in São Paulo and surrounding areas. However, an additional 300,000 residents lost electricity on Thursday as the network continued to suffer from weather-related damage. The company did not specify when full restoration would be completed, acknowledging that repairs in several affected neighbourhoods require a complete reconstruction of damaged grid infrastructure. Enel said it is deploying generators to hospitals and individuals reliant on essential medical equipment.

São Paulo city hall reported that at least 231 trees fell due to the extreme winds, which officials attributed to the effects of an extratropical cyclone forming in southern Brazil. Fallen trees caused extensive damage to streets, vehicles and overhead power lines, further complicating restoration efforts.

The severe weather also caused major disruptions in air travel. Aviation authorities confirmed that nearly 400 flights were cancelled, with the majority at Congonhas Airport, São Paulo’s busiest domestic hub. Guarulhos International Airport, the city’s largest international gateway, also experienced cancellations and operational delays, leaving thousands of passengers stranded without clarity on new departure times.

São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes criticised Enel for what he described as an inadequate and slow response to the crisis. He accused the Italian utility of failing to act swiftly despite repeated warnings about the vulnerability of the city’s power grid. Nunes stated that residents “are left behind without electricity every time something happens,” calling the company’s handling of the situation “irresponsible.” At the height of Wednesday’s outages, more than 2 million people were in the dark.

Public frustration intensified after video footage surfaced showing several Enel-branded vehicles parked idly at the company’s downtown facility, raising questions about the speed and scale of their response. The blackout’s impact extended beyond households, with the city’s water utility Sabesp warning that electricity shortages were interrupting pump operations and reducing water supply in parts of the city.

Many residents sought temporary refuge in shopping malls, cafés and coworking spaces equipped with backup power. Psychologist Thaisa Fernandes, 45, who lives in the upscale Vila Madalena neighbourhood, said she had to conduct online therapy sessions from a snack bar. “They gave several restoration estimates, all of which failed. This is the third outage this year alone,” she said, adding that she had lost trust in both the utility company and the authorities.

By Thursday evening, long queues persisted at Congonhas Airport, with passengers reporting little information about when flights might resume. Airline staff warned that delays in São Paulo were already affecting airports across Brazil, creating a nationwide ripple effect.

The crisis underscores São Paulo’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather events, raising urgent questions about infrastructure resilience, emergency response and the city’s preparedness for future climate-related disruptions.