[5][6] The floods marked the fourth such environmental disaster in Brazil within the past 12 months, following similar calamities that killed 75 people in July, September, and November 2023.

[10] On 22 April, the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul issued a meteorological alert, later updated, warning of the risk of disruptions due to isolated storms and locally intense rains, which could cause flooding and power cuts.

Storms occurring between 28 April and 1 May were caused by a cold front associated with a low-pressure area over the sea, while also being influenced by a moisture flow coming from the north of the country.

[15] Other climatologists, such as Paulo Artaxo, a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research, and Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, also correlated the frequent floods in the South of Brazil with the impacts of global warming in Brazil and the lack of public policies to mitigate these effects.

[21][3] Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that two more people died in an explosion at a flooded gas station in Porto Alegre, where rescue crews were attempting to refuel their vehicles.

[27] Entire cities in the Taquari River valley, such as Lajeado, Estrela,[8] Muçum, Cruzeiro do Sul, and Arroio do Meio,[28] were made temporarily inaccessible by the effects of the floods.

[32] Ten aircraft have been damaged, including PR-AJN Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300, PR-DCL Beechcraft C90GTx King Air, PR-FHT Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100, PR-SCC Cessna T206H Stationair TC, PR-TTP Boeing 727-2M7(A)(F) Total Linhas Aéreas SA, PS-CNB Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX Azul, PS-LCA Pilatus PC-24, Piper PA-46-500TP M500, PT-OSW BAe 125-800B, and the museum PP-ANU DC-3 Varig Exposition.

[37] At least 141 cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial blood infection that can be transmitted via contaminated standing water, were confirmed across the state following the floods,[21][38] with at least seven people eventually dying from complications of the disease.

[41][42] Following an official request filed by regional-based clubs Internacional, Grêmio and Juventude, whose stadiums, Federação Gaúcha de Futebol,[43] and training facilities were all temporarily unavailable due to the floods,[43][44] the CBF postponed the games for a further twenty days on 7 May.

[51] President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul on 2 May,[14][52] holding a public speech in Santa Maria.

[53] National Force and Civil Defense members were also sent by the state governments of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo.

[53] Flamengo, Palmeiras, São Paulo, and Atlético Mineiro all offered their stadiums and facilities to the affected football clubs;[54][55] the latter team also made a R$100,000 (US$20,000) worth donation to the regional charity fund through their Instituto Galo foundation,[56] and other Série A and Série B teams shared details about fundraising campaigns on social media,[57] while the CBF donated R$1 million (US$200,000) to the victims and opened a parallel campaign.

Atlântico was expected to carry 200 Marine Corps officers, 40 vehicles and eight between medium, and small vessels to help rescue stranded victims and transport supplies through flooded roads.

[76] Due to the insufficient number of fire departments, civil defense, and armed forces personnel in some areas of the state at the beginning of the relief operations, some people waited three days to be rescued.

[79] Universo Online reported that a group of volunteers were forced to retrieve thousands of firearms at Salgado Filho Porto Alegre International Airport by a representative of arms manufacturer Taurus Armas, saying that the representative misled them into launching what they were initially told to be rescue operations for people stranded at the airport, who then threatened to have them detained if they refused to proceed on security grounds.

[82] A Lockheed Martin KC-130 plane from the FAU with equipment and humanitarian aid was also offered, but was refused by Brazilian authorities due to a lack of proper aerodromes, which were equally damaged by the floods.

[86][87][88] On 10 May, the White House National Security Advisor, John Kirby, announced a donation of US$120,000 in resources and hygiene kits from the United States.