Snow in Brazil occurs yearly in thehigh plains of the country'sSouth Region (comprising the states ofRio Grande do Sul,Santa Catarina, andParaná). Elsewhere in the country it is a rare phenomenon but has been registered several times.

The phenomenon occurs mainly during the months of June, July and August. In this period,São Joaquim, the city with the most snow days, receives an average of 13,000 visitors from other parts of Brazil.^[1]

The greatest snowfall ever recorded in the country occurred inVacaria (RS) on 7 August 1879, with more than 2 metres (79 inches) of accumulated snow.^[2][3] Snowfalls like this are extremely rare in Brazil, the two below being the only later snowfalls that reached (or passed) 1 metre (39 inches):

• 20 July 1957, inSão Joaquim, Santa Catarina, with 1.3 metres (51 inches) of snow. Often cited as the greatest snowfall in Brazil.^[4]
• 15 June 1985, inPico das Agulhas Negras,Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro. 1 metre (39 inches) of snow.^[5]

Due to the high latitude and large areas of high altitude, the South Region is easily the coldest in Brazil, with snow tending to occur every year in southern municipalities likeSão Joaquim (SC),Urubici (SC),Urupema (SC), andSão José dos Ausentes (RS), as well asBom Jesus (RS),Bom Jardim da Serra (SC),Cambará do Sul (RS), andPalmas (PR).^[6][7] Those are considered the coldest cities in the country.

Although the snow is normally restricted to higher elevation, there are also many reports of snow at low elevation such asIjuí^[8] andPorto Alegre^[9] (330 metres (1,080 feet) and 10 metres (33 feet) above sea level, respectively).

In 2000, snow occurred in more than 70 municipalities spread throughout the three states of the Southern Region. In 2010, the phenomenon returned to power in 21 municipalities of the Santa Catarina and Rio Grande mountains. In the year 2013, a historic episode in July brought snow to more than 140 cities in the region, including the country's coldest capitalCuritiba (PR), which experienced snowfall once more after the last occurrence 38 years before and is home of 1.8 million inhabitants.^[10][11]

Snow has been registered in thesoutheastern states ofSão Paulo (last time inApiaí in 1975^[12][13]),Rio de Janeiro (last time atItatiaia, at thePico das Agulhas Negras, in 1985),^[14] andMinas Gerais. It has also been registered twice (1975 and 2013) inParanhos, Mato Grosso do Sul, located in theCenter-West. This totals seven states with snow reported in the country.^[15][16]

The remaining states, including the whole regions ofNorth andNortheast, have strong tropical and semi-arid climates and low latitude and altitude, making snow (virtually) impossible. There have been no reports of snow even at the highest point in the country,Pico da Neblina.

• São Joaquim - the Brazilian city with the most snowy days
• Urupema - lowest average temperatures for any Brazilian city
• Climate of Brazil
• Morro da Igreja
• Lapse rate - About the rate of decrease of temperature with altitude.

• Report about the snow in Rio Grande do Sul, with historical data.
• Acúmulo de neve em cidades de Santa Catarina chegou a 25 centímetros, diz meteorologista (Report of 2010-08-05 fromO Globo, inPortuguese).