The flooding is driven by torrential rainfall in southern Brazil, which has swelled the Uruguay and Ibicuí rivers. On June 18, 2025, Rio Grande do Sul received more than 350 millimeters (14 inches) of rain in some areas, triggering flash floods and landslides. Astronaut photographs taken from the International Space Station on June 24, 2025, document the extent of the inundation, showing the Uruguay and Ibicuí rivers significantly swollen at their confluence. The images, captured by the Expedition 73 crew, provide a visual record of the water spread across the floodplains, including areas near the Brazilian municipality of Itaqui and the Argentine border to the north.
In addition to Concordia, other riverside cities in Argentina are feeling the impact. In Corrientes province, the cities of Santo Tomé and Paso de los Libres surpassed their evacuation thresholds. In Santo Tomé, 191 people, including 80 minors, were evacuated by Sunday afternoon as the river rose by approximately one centimeter per hour. Authorities in Entre Ríos note that the Salto Grande dam, located a few kilometers from Concordia, is managing water flow to minimize impact, though it has reached the limit of its containment capacity, requiring gate maneuvers that release water downstream.
The current crisis follows a devastating flood event in 2024, which inundated parts of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, and left parts of the state submerged for over a month. According to an International Organization for Migration report, the recent floods have damaged more than 130 municipalities across the Brazilian state. Jaguari, a municipality about 190 kilometers east of Itaqui, was declared in a state of public calamity, while more than 20 other municipalities issued states of emergency. The recurrence of such severe flooding highlights the vulnerability of the region to extreme precipitation events.
Authorities in Concordia have asked residents to maintain contact with local agencies as water levels are expected to increase over the next three days due to continued rains in Brazil. The Uruguay River is projected to reach a depth of 14 meters in Concordia. While the immediate situation remains focused on rescue and evacuation operations, the broader regional impact continues to unfold as water levels stabilize or recede in the days ahead.
One Comment