(ANSA) – ROME, AUG 20 – One person is dead as bad weather has hit Italy with late-August storms moving in following a long heat wave.
A 40-year-old man missing since Tuesday afternoon after the Crisa River, swelled by rain to flood, swept away the car he was in in Leonforte (Enna), has been found dead.
Two people were saved from the Crisa by rescue squads.
Meanwhile, bad weather is intensifying in the North, with heavy rains in Milan, where public parks have been closed.
The Lambro River is under observation. An orange alert is in force in Emilia Romagna and Liguria, as well as in Lombardy.
While central and southern Italy continues to enjoy hit and even muggy conditions, there have been freak storms that have caused occasional disruption there.
The Pisan coast suffered flood damage Wednesday while parts of Arezzo were also flooded by heat-stoked thunderstorms.
The Civil Protection Department has issued an orange alert for parts of Liguria and Lombardy for Wednesday and a yellow alert for the remaining parts of the two regions, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Tuscany, and parts of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Marche.
Lorenzo Tedici, meteorologist and media manager for iLMeteo.it, explains that the next few hours will see the last spike in temperatures across much of the country.
In a few days, maximum temperatures will drop by as much as 10 degrees Celsius, especially in the north.
In short, temperatures will drop from 40 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius during the central hours of the day.
Due to the weather alert, Palazzo Marino in Milan has activated the Civil Protection Department’s municipal operations center and decided to close parks today.
The municipality of Bergamo has also decided to close parks and gardens.
A van with Slovenian license plates was struck by a large branch that suddenly broke off Tuesday afternoon near the Arena and Sempione Park in Milan.
The driver and the two other passengers were fortunately unharmed despite the force of the impact.
A third severe downpour in three days has struck Arezzo in the past few hours.
The rainfall has caused flooding in several parts of the city, creating traffic problems.
Roads and underpasses were inundated.
Several trees fell onto the northbound carriageway of the Perugia-Bettolle motorway.
A severe thunderstorm, with rain, lightning, and at times strong winds, hit the Umbrian capital Tuesday afternoon.
Two traffic accidents on State Road 131 due to slippery asphalt caused by the rain, with several injured people taken to the hospital, an uprooted tree, and a large branch falling on a car, are the results of a day of severe weather Tuesday in Sardinia, where hailstorms were recorded in the mountains of Nuoro, Ogliastra, and Campidano, accompanied by thunderstorms and local showers.
The Cagliari countryside is assessing the damage following the violent storms that have struck numerous farms in the past few hours, particularly in the areas of Monastir, Pimentel, Barrali, Senorbì, and the greater Cagliari area, but with repercussions across a much wider area.
Torrential rains and hail have devastated crops, fodder, and farm structures, causing serious damage to farmers and ranchers.
Vineyards and olive groves, including many organic farms, have paid the highest price.
“In just a few hours, entire rows of vines have been knocked down or irreversibly damaged,” laments Coldiretti. (ANSA).
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Last modified: August 20, 2025