Storm Cuts Power to 120,000 in Brazil’s Vale do Aço

BRAZIL · MINAS GERAIS

An hour of rain took the lights out of an industrial valley that makes much of Brazil’s steel.

More than 120,000 Cemig customers lost power in the Vale do Aço on 16 September. Photo: Nonato III, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A storm struck the Vale do Aço region of Minas Gerais in the early evening of 16 September 2026. More than 120,000 customers lost power, according to Cemig. Ipatinga recorded 38.8 millimetres of rain in a single hour with gusts of 76.2 kilometres an hour.

What the Storm Did

The worst of it fell on Ipatinga, Coronel Fabriciano, Timóteo and Santana do Paraíso.

Trees came down across streets, roofs were torn off and rooftop water tanks were knocked loose.

The BR-381 highway, the main road between Belo Horizonte and Espírito Santo, was blocked by fallen trees and utility poles.

Civil Defence reported no serious injuries or deaths as of 23:30 that night.

Why the Power Went Out

Cemig said wind and rain threw branches and roofing material against the network.

That caused short circuits and broke cables across several neighbourhoods.

The worst-affected districts of Coronel Fabriciano included JK, Belvedere, Melo Viana, São Domingos and Planalto.

Cemig forecast gradual restoration through the night, with harder repairs running into Thursday morning.

What Vale does. Vale S.A., together with its subsidiaries, produces iron ore and nickel in Brazil, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. The company operates in two segments, Iron Ore Solutions and Vale Base Metals. It extracts, produces, and distributes iron ore, iron ore pellets, briquettes, nickel, copper, other ferrous…

The Emergency Line Failed Too

The fire service emergency number 193 stopped working in the region during the storm.

Residents were directed to a mobile number and to Civil Defence on 199.

A communications failure during a weather emergency compounds the risk rather than causing it.

The line was a casualty of the same network damage that cut the power.

The Vale do Aço is one of Brazil’s main steel-producing regions.

Where This Happened

The Vale do Aço, the steel valley, sits in eastern Minas Gerais around the Piracicaba river.

Ipatinga is home to the Usiminas mill, one of Brazil’s largest flat-steel producers.

Timóteo holds an Aperam stainless plant, and Vale’s Vitória-Minas railway runs through the valley.

About half a million people live in the four municipalities affected.

A Region With a Memory

The same valley flooded severely in 2025, when the Piracicaba burst its banks and displaced thousands.

That episode led to new drainage work and a stricter alert system.

This time the damage came from wind and the electricity network rather than from rising water.

However, the pattern of short, violent storms in the spring transition has become familiar here.

Cemig said branches and roofing thrown against the network caused short circuits.

What It Means for Industry

Large steel mills run their own substations and do not lose supply at the same moment as households.

The immediate industrial risk is road and rail access rather than the power feed.

Neither Usiminas nor Aperam has reported a production interruption.

Blockages on the BR-381 matter most for trucking of finished steel and inputs.

What Has Not Been Published

Cemig has not said how long the last customers waited for restoration.

No municipal damage assessment has been released.

The number of homes that lost roofing is not confirmed.

Those figures usually arrive with the formal Civil Defence report several days later.

What to Watch

The Civil Defence damage assessment and any request for emergency status.

Whether the BR-381 reopens fully to heavy traffic.

Further INMET alerts, which had flagged storms in the region through Thursday.

And the restoration timeline Cemig publishes for the last affected neighbourhoods.

More: Brazil news and analysis, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the Vale do Aço?

A storm on the evening of 16 September 2026 cut power to more than 120,000 customers and blocked roads with fallen trees.

How heavy was the rain?

Ipatinga recorded 38.8 millimetres in one hour, with gusts reaching 76.2 kilometres an hour.

Which cities were hit?

Ipatinga, Coronel Fabriciano, Timóteo and Santana do Paraíso.

Were there casualties?

Civil Defence reported no serious injuries or deaths as of late that night.

Why did so many lose power?

Cemig said wind threw branches and roofing against the network, causing short circuits and broken cables.

Are schools open?

Four municipal schools in Ipatinga cancelled classes on 17 September.

Sources: Cemig statements, Ipatinga municipal administration, Minas Gerais Civil Defence, O Tempo and Rádio Educadora reporting of 16 and 17 September 2026.