Hurricanes, giant hail, fire… Italy is facing severe weather

Violent thunderstorms battered northern Italy, killing two women, the head of the government, Giorgia Meloni, announced on Tuesday, while fires in Sicily led to the temporary closure of Palermo airport.

“It is with great sadness that I have received the tragic news of two incidents caused by bad weather, in which a 16-year-old girl in a Scout camp in Brescia (North) and a woman in Lissone (North) were killed by falling trees.Head of government Giorgia Meloni wrote in a message on Twitter, renamed X.

“Serious harm”

Strong winds, heavy rain and hail swept through Milan, the country’s economic capital, at dawn on Tuesday, flooding the streets and uprooting trees, many of which fell on the road. The local public transport company deplored the extensive damage to the power grid, while an AFP journalist reported a temporary water outage in the historic center of the city.

Besides these bad weather conditions hitting the north of the peninsula, the south is being affected by a heat wave of 47.6 degrees Celsius recorded on Monday in Catania, Sicily, according to the local civil protection. Firefighters in Sicily also battled overnight from Monday to Tuesday against several fires, one of which occurred near Palermo airport, which was closed for several hours in the morning.

Rail transport was also affected by these fires. “In Italy we are experiencing one of the most complex days of the past decades: floods, hurricanes and gigantic hail in the north, scorching heat and devastating fires in the south.Civil Protection Minister Nilo Musumesi wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. “Climate disruptions affecting our country force all of us, without anyone’s excuse, to change attitudes.added the minister.