The Região Metropolitana do Vale do Aço is situated in a predominantly rugged terrain region[4] with a notable presence of favelas and urban communities.

[5] With limited space for expansion, urban growth has increasingly occurred towards watercourses and hills surrounding the cities, leading to the proliferation of housing in areas at risk of flooding and landslides.

[4] On 11 January 2025, a Saturday, the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) issued an orange storm warning for the region's cities,[6] predicting rainfall caused by heat and high air humidity.

[12] During this second episode of intense rain, alerts from the Civil Defense were sent to residents' cell phones, accompanied by sirens, warning of a high risk of new landslides and floods.

[26][27] The Unidade de Pronto Atendimento (UPA) in the Canaã neighborhood of Ipatinga was flooded, leading to its closure and the transfer of patients to other health facilities within the municipality and neighboring cities.

[22] The Avenida Pedro Linhares Gomes, an urban section of BR-381 passing through Ipatinga, was completely flooded near Shopping Vale do Aço on the morning of 12 January halting traffic on the federal highway.

[33] During the storm in the early hours of 12 January a motorcyclist lost control of their bike and died while crossing a flooded section of Avenida Presidente Tancredo de Almeida Neves.

[34] A bridge over the Caladão stream also had to be cordoned off due to structural damage caused by the force of the water, and the road connecting the city to the Serra dos Cocais rural area was blocked by debris.

[32] In Timóteo, a landslide isolated part of the city,[35] and the Fórum Geraldo Perlingeiro de Abreu was flooded during the downpour on the morning of 12 January.