40° in the south

Bad weather: strong winds and cloudbursts in northern Italy, hailstorms in Milan

The bad weather, which caused damage and flooding, was concentrated in the area between Lombardy and Piedmont, particularly in the Novara area

12 July 2024Aggiornato il 13 luglio alle 9.30

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4' min read

A new violent wave of bad weather has been hitting northern Italy since Friday, which has already been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent days. The instability, characterised by strong winds and showers, is currently concentrated in the area between Lombardy and Piedmont.

About ten fire brigade teams were busy because of the hail that hit Milan and the north-west of the Lombard capital around 8 p.m. on Friday. The interventions mainly concerned blocked lifts and fallen or crumbling tree branches. Cornaredo and Bareggio were the worst affected municipalities. In the video at the top, the hailstorm that hit cars on the ring road between Corvetto and San Donato.

The Comasco is among the worst affected areas:Lake Como has flooded due to heavy rain. The flooding of the Lungo Lago forced the local police to partially close the local road network. Landslides and mudslides were also recorded along the roads in theLecchese area: in particular, there was a landslide with debris on the road in Oliveto Lario along the provincial road Sp 583 leading to Bellaggio. The fire brigade is also on the scene. In the next few hours, the bad weather that is affecting all of northern Italy is expected to head eastwards. In Central and Southern Italy, a sunny situation remains, with scorching heat and temperatures close to 40 degrees, especially in Rome (video).

The sun returns to Milan on Saturday morning

In Lombardy's capital, after the heavy hailstorm on Friday evening, the sun returned on Saturday morning. The Civil Protection's Municipal Operations Centre (COC) remained active to monitor the hydrometric levels of the Seveso and Lambro rivers and to coordinate any interventions in the city.

Forte pioggia e vento nella zona a Nord-Ovest della Lombardia, tra le province di Varese, Como, Lecco e nell’alto bergamasco. Vigili del fuoco impegnati dall’alba di oggi per allagamenti, smottamenti, tetti divelti e alberi caduti. Maggiori criticità in provincia di Varese: oltre 40 interventi fatti e squadre di rinforzo dal comando di Milano, 12 luglio 2024 ANSA / Vigili del fuoco

Hailstorms and roofs blown off in Novara

In Fontaneto d'Agogna, in the province of Novara, a number of buildings were blown over on Friday, and various damages occurred to private homes. Many trees were felled and road signs were torn down. The electricity supply is currently interrupted in the entire town centre. The bad weather is also creating problems for the road network towards Lake Orta in the north of the province. The State Road 229 at km 27.300 caved in for about 40 cm across the entire carriageway for a width of about 2 metres. The carriageway between Novara and Borgomanero is completely unusable. The artery is closed and alternative routes have been created via the provincial and municipal roads from Cressa and Fontaneto d'Agogna. There are also several downed trees that have temporarily blocked the Borgomanero bypass. The Arona Traffic Police are currently intervening, and the Carabinieri, Borgomanero Local Police, Fire Brigade and Anas are also present.

In the Biella region, critical situation for railway lines damaged by bad weather

Firefighters have also been in action since Friday at dawn in the Biella region due to the bad weather. Several requests for help. Critical situation also on the railway lines from Biella to Santhià and Novara due to fallen trees. The areas most affected were Vergnasco, Magnonevolo, Zubiena, Castellengo and Candelo. Most of the reports came from fallen trees and damage to public lighting poles. The situation is still developing and the teams from Biella, Cossato and Ponzone are still busy, also in view of the forecast for today, which is expected to bring more heavy storms.

Hurricane in the Varese area, damage and traffic disruption

A cloudburst in the early hours of Friday in the Varese area with strong winds and hail in some parts of the province. Some roads were closed due to falling trees. Traffic is difficult along the road between Mornago (Varese) and Besnate and trees have also fallen on the provincial road between Daverio and Azzate. In Varese, numerous streets are closed to traffic due to flooding and also due to falling trees. The Vellone torrent is under observation due to the rapidly rising water level. On the motorway to Malpensa, a car overturned at Terminal 2 in the direction of the A4 Milan-Turin motorway due to the asphalt being made slippery by the rain. A 48-year-old man was not seriously injured. The ANAS has announced the establishment of an alternative road system diverted to the Terminal 2 junction with return to State Road 336.

The bad weather also caused disruptions to rail traffic. So far, around 40 interventions have been carried out by the rescue teams, while around 60 requests are still pending or waiting to be fulfilled. On the tracks it is no better. On the Luino-Gallarate-Milan line, branches falling on the tracks have damaged the infrastructure between the stations of Ternate-Varano Borghi and Mornago Cimbro, preventing trains from running, which has been suspended. On the Malpensa-Varese-Mendrisio-Como line, bad weather damaged the railway infrastructure between Varese and Induno Olona, causing delays of up to 60 minutes and route changes with replacement buses; the same on the Porto Ceresio-Varese-Gallarate-Milan line. On the Laveno-Varese-Saronno-Milano line, damage occurred between the Varese Nord and Malnate stations, with the roof of a building encroaching on the ballast at Via Tonale in Varese. Technicians at work and delays of up to 30 minutes.

Flanders and felled trees in Bergamo valleys

A violent thunderstorm hit the Bergamo valleys on Friday morning: several trees fell in the villages of Lenna, Oneta, Gromo and Ornica, while in San Giovanni Bianco a landslide fell on the provincial road in the village of Roncaglia. A thick blanket of hail remained on the roads in several villages. From 7 a.m. onwards, strong winds, torrential rain and hail were recorded. No particular damage is reported at the moment, although the fire brigade of the provincial command is intervening in various locations. No injuries have been reported.

Storms and flooding in South Tyrol, 100 fire brigade interventions

The night between Thursday and Friday was characterised by strong thunderstorms in South Tyrol. The Upper Eisack Valley and the municipality of Campo di Trens were particularly affected. Heavy thunderstorms occurred with rainfall in excess of 50 mm/h, which required numerous interventions by the fire brigade. Due to the heavy rain, several subways, garages, businesses and flats were flooded. Fortunately, no personal injuries are reported at the moment. Numerous fire brigades were involved in more than 100 interventions.