Following the heatwave, there is now a thunderstorm warning

The grip of the extreme heat seems set to ease. The sweltering heat is about to give way to a significantly more unsettled spell: a weather system is on its way and will affect the peninsula, starting with the northern regions. Today, intense thunderstorms are forecast for today, with strong gusts of wind and hailstorms, as well as showers and lightning caused by the temperature contrast between the incoming cool air and the pre-existing warm, humid layer. As a result, temperatures will drop: on 2 July, according to the Ministry of Health, only Catania and Reggio Calabria will remain on ‘red alert’ – the highest emergency level.

The Civil Protection Agency has issued an an orange alert for the risk of thunderstorms across most of Lombardy, whilst an orange alert has been issued for Thursday 2 July across most of Veneto and part of Emilia-Romagna. In addition, a yellow alert is in place for Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria, as well as parts of Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily and Sardinia.

The situation in Milan is particularly critical. The Lombardy Natural Risk Monitoring Centre has issued an orange weather alert for the risk of thunderstorms from late morning until midnight. Since 3 pm, the fire service has been dealing with a violent spell of bad weather that has hit the city and its surrounding areas. Around 240 calls have been received at the control centre in Via Messina, with all teams from headquarters and the four city detachments working to resolve critical issues relating to dangerous trees, plants uprooted by strong winds, unstable signage and flooded basements. A large fallen tree branch at number 27, Via Rospignosi, has brought tram services to a standstill. No injuries have been reported at this stage.

The heatwave has put the country under severe strain, particularly the most vulnerable sections of the population. In the A&E departments of major cities, according to a statement made on Friday 26 June by Alessandro Riccardi, president of Simeu (Italian Society of Emergency and Urgent Medicine), admissions have risen by 10–15 per cent. Then, last Monday, two elderly people – an 86-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman – lost their lives in Genoa due to the extreme temperatures.

The Ministry of Health, which has announced that a new crisis management team will meet tomorrow to tackle the emergency, has, however, promptly refuted the World Health Organisation’s claim that there had been five heat-related deaths in Italia in the last 24 hours.