The toll, revised downward from an earlier estimate of 13 dead, was given by the state`s fire service, which said three people were missing in the disaster.
Mudslides in shantytowns in the north of the city accounted for most of the deaths.
In one case, a mother and her daughter perished when their home was hit. In another, a homeless man was drowned when a strong current carried him away while he was on a busy road.
The situation in Sao Paulo early Tuesday was "chaotic," said television network Globo.
It showed images of flooding from rivers that had broken their banks and cut several highways and principal roads, causing massive traffic jams in some areas for a few hours.
Motorists were seen abandoning semi-submerged cars and wading in waist-high water.
In one northern slum where two people died, television showed a mudslide that carried away the face of a hill, knocking trees over and slamming into a flimsy home.
The southern hemisphere summer usually causes daily rains in Sao Paulo as humidity builds up. Flooding and deaths are common during the season.
But a cold front that arrived late Monday made the rains heavier and more prolonged, causing the overnight death and destruction.
The 10 dead listed by Sao Paulo`s fire service added to six rain-related fatalities recorded last week, and more than 20 deaths in the entire southeast Brazil region since the wet season started in November.
In all, nearly 40 people have died, according to a tally of official tolls which includes five in the state of Espirito Santo and 16 in neighboring Minas Gerais.
More than 30,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes and find refuge with relatives or in state-run shelters. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
