BRAZIL · CLIMATE

Drought has affected 146,425 families in Amazonas, Brazil’s largest state, the state civil-defence agency says. Forty-seven of its 62 municipalities are in a state of emergency.

Drought has affected 146,425 families in Amazonas, Brazil’s largest state by area. Of its 62 municipalities, 47 are in a state of emergency, the state civil-defence agency Defesa Civil said on Monday, 2 November.

Another 15 municipalities, including the state capital Manaus, are on alert, so all 62 are now in emergency or on alert. Amazonas is more than twice the size of Texas, and in much of it rivers are the main roads.

What the Bulletin Shows

The 47 municipalities in emergency include Parintins, Tefé, Coari, Manacapuru, Lábrea and Humaitá. The 15 on alert include Manaus, Itacoatiara, Tabatinga and São Gabriel da Cachoeira.

The bulletin counts families, not people, so the number of individuals affected is higher. It does not give river-level readings.

Air quality was rated worst in Parintins on Monday morning, at the bulletin’s lowest grade, “péssima”, meaning very poor. Ten more municipalities were rated poor or very poor, including Itacoatiara, Iranduba and Maués.

Manaus was rated moderate, as were many other municipalities. Air quality is reported in the same bulletin as the drought and fire figures.

The Educandos district of Manaus seen from the Rio Negro in May 2026, a file photo that does not show the current drought. Photo: Ch1pabeck / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

How the State Is Responding

The state government runs Operation Drought 2026, called Operação Estiagem 2026 in Portuguese. Its first phase has reached 15 municipalities.

So far it has delivered 4,800 food baskets, about 96 tonnes, and 3,400 cleaning kits. It has also supplied 3,060 water tanks of 500 litres, three 5,000-litre reservoirs and 18 water-purifier kits.

On Tuesday, 27 October, the state sent more than 13 tonnes of food to Anamã and Rio Preto da Eva. Those two towns are due to receive 670 food baskets, 400 cleaning kits and 200 water tanks.

The state says aid will continue according to river monitoring and the demand from municipalities. The bulletin gives no cost figure for the programme.

Fires and Smoke Add to the Strain

The state military fire brigade, CBMAM, recorded 3,957 urban and forest fire incidents from 1 June to 1 November. Crews fought 24,505 fire outbreaks, of which 4,759 were in the capital and 19,746 in the interior.

About 1,500 firefighters and forest brigade members are deployed, with 18 aircraft, 16 of them federal and two state-owned. The state has also hired 153 more forest brigade members.

A 120-day ban on the use of fire applies across Amazonas, with legal exceptions. The state has also issued 180-day emergency decrees for fire-hit areas and for the whole state because of the drought.

A Strong El Niño Is the Backdrop

El Niño is a warming of Pacific Ocean waters that often brings drier weather to parts of the Amazon basin. The US weather agency NOAA has an El Niño Advisory in force, issued on Thursday, 8 October.

NOAA measured the central Pacific 2.1 degrees Celsius above normal. It sees a strong to very strong El Niño through March 2027.

What It Means for US Readers

Amazon drought affects US readers through climate, commodities and travel. Brazil is a major supplier of soybeans, coffee and beef, and investors in farm and logistics firms track river and rainfall data.

Travellers to Manaus or river towns should check local civil-defence updates and the US State Department advice for Brazil. Smoke can irritate people with asthma or heart conditions.

Related Rio Times reports cover the soy crop outlook and a scientist’s El Niño warning. More is in El Niño and the grid, Brazil’s economy explained and the Brazil hub.

What Is Not Known

The bulletin gives no river-level readings, so how far the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões have fallen is not confirmed here. It also gives no figure for people affected, costs or crop and livestock losses.

The state government’s own bulletin pages could not be opened, so the figures here are those it published and regional newspapers relayed. Whether El Niño is the main cause of this drought has not been stated by the authorities.

What Comes Next

Defesa Civil is expected to keep publishing updated bulletins, and aid continues under Operation Drought 2026. NOAA’s next monthly El Niño update is due in November.

An emergency declaration opens access to aid and does not by itself measure damage. The count of 47 may rise or fall as rivers and rainfall change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many families are affected by the drought in Amazonas?

The state civil-defence agency counted 146,425 families as affected in its bulletin of Monday, 2 November. The bulletin counts families, not individual people.

How many municipalities are in a state of emergency?

Forty-seven of the state’s 62 municipalities are in emergency, and 15 more are on alert. Manaus, the state capital, is on alert.

What is the state doing to help?

It runs Operation Drought 2026, which has delivered food baskets, cleaning kits and water tanks to 15 municipalities. More aid will follow according to river monitoring and municipal demand.

Is El Niño causing the drought?

El Niño often brings drier weather to parts of the Amazon, and NOAA says a strong event is under way. The state bulletin does not state a cause.

Sources: Defesa Civil do Amazonas, state drought bulletin of 2 November 2026, published through the Amazonas state government (state website could not be opened; figures checked against three independent regional reports); NOAA Climate Prediction Center, ENSO diagnostic discussion of 8 October 2026; Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB), Amazon basin hydrological alert bulletins (river levels) (all accessed 3 November 2026).