The 1995 winter over south, southeast and central west Brazil was anomalous because monthly mean temperatures recorded in this period showed large positive deviations and the precipitation was below normal. In this study, atmospheric, oceanic and surface analyses were performed. The main goal is to diagnose the observed atmospheric anomalies over Brazil. Streamfunction anomalies at 200 hPa revealed the presence of a blocking atmospheric situation and a wavetrain configuration in july and august depicting an anticyclonic circulation over the Pacific Ocean and South America. The atmospheric pattern blocked the frontal system track which was displaced from the normal path crossing the interior of the continent to the coast region. Time series of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies in areas 3 (over the South Atlantic Ocean) and 4 (over the South Pacific Ocean) were in opposite phase during the entire period. Area 3 showed a continuous cooling associated with a cyclonic circulation at low levels and area 4 showed a continuous warming associated with a subtropical anticyclonic circulation.
Atmospheric blocking; 1995 winter season; Temperature anomalies; Precipitation anomalies; Oceanic anomalies
