On Today's Date: The South Atlantic's Only Known Hurricane Makes Landfall In Brazil As 'Catarina'

The word hurricane and Brazil aren't something you'd expect to see in the same sentence, but that's what unfolded in late-March 2004 when "Catarina" made landfall.

How It Happened And The Impacts

This rare event was kicked into gear by a non-tropical low-pressure system off the eastern coast of South America that sprouted thunderstorms near its center, allowing it to transition into a hybrid subtropical storm, and then a fully tropical storm over warm enough waters.

From there, it intensified into the only known South Atlantic hurricane before making landfall in the Santa Catarina province of Brazil as a Category 1 equivalent early on March 28, 2004. The name of that province is how it later was known as Hurricane Catarina.

The hurricane contributed to $350 million in damage (U.S. dollars) and killed three people, according to NOAA. Over 80% of roof structures in Santa Catarina sustained some level of damage, according to a post-storm survey of residents.

Why It's So Rare

Tropical cyclones like the ones we see in the North Atlantic hurricane season are extremely rare in the waters off the eastern coast of South America.

The reason they are so infrequent is because upper-level winds are generally not conducive for tropical development. Not only that, the South Atlantic doesn't see tropical waves from Africa, which are the seedlings that grow many tropical storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic.

What is much less rare in the South Atlantic Basin is what's called a subtropical depression or storm.

That's an area of low pressure over water that is a mix of both tropical and non-tropical systems. It has a broad wind field, no cold or warm fronts, and generally low-topped thunderstorms some distance from the center.

This type of system happens about once or twice a year in the South Atlantic, according to studies from 2012 and 2014.

Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with weather.com for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.