Image: (APA/AFP/MIGUEL MEDINA)
The area around Bologna and the Adriatic coast were among those affected. The weather service for the Emilia-Romagna region, whose capital is Bologna, also reported violent thunderstorms from the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Ferrara and Ravenna. Photos showed broken power poles, collapsed houses, scattered roof tiles and crashed cars.
One video showed bathers fleeing the beach en masse in Lido di Classe near Ravenna. The exact extent of the damage was not yet clear.
Hail in Bologna
According to a report in the newspaper “La Repubblica”, three people were injured in the province of Ferrara. Heavy hailstorms were reported from the city of Bologna. The authorities there warned against the use of underpasses and the danger of falling trees and street signs. Various railway lines in the region were also interrupted. There have been reports of hailstones the size of tennis balls in some places. According to the weather service, gusts of wind with speeds of up to 129 kilometers per hour were registered.
There were also severe storms in the Marche Adriatic region, which borders to the south of Emilia-Romagna. According to “La Repubblica”, a stretch of beach north of Ancona was surprised by a sudden and violent storm surge. While the beaches were still full of bathers, the sky darkened within minutes and strong gusts of wind ripped away dozens of parasols. The waves had penetrated to the sixth row of beaches, and loungers were floating in the water.
Severe storms hit northern Italy on Friday. Among other things, a video made a splash in which masses of water and ice rushed through the streets of the small town of Seregno in Lombardy.
The Italian meteorologists expect a new heat wave for the beginning of next week. Temperatures of 47 to 48 degrees are then possible between Sardinia and Sicily, the weather service Ilmeteo.it wrote on Saturday. He spoke of a “Caronte bis” (Caronte with encore), alluding to the high “Caronte” from the past week. Caronte is the Italian name for Charon, the ferryman from the underworld in Greek and Roman mythology.
On Saturday, the weather service of the Italian Air Force reported 40 degrees from Palermo, the capital of Sicily, in the early afternoon. In Rome it was 37 degrees. 41.8 degrees had already been measured there last Tuesday.
Source: Nachrichten
