Just days before Easter, severe weather continues to batter Italy. On Thursday, the north-west was hit by strong winds, heavy rain and hail, leading to flooding in several cities and significant damage, particularly to infrastructure.
The transport sector has been hit hardest, with serious disruption to traffic and some areas cut off due to road and motorway closures.
In the early hours of Friday, the storm began moving towards the north-east and central regions of the country. The worst-affected areas include Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto.
The Civil Protection Department has issued a red alert for Friday 18 April in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna due to rising water levels in the River Po. An orange alert is in place for two other areas in Lombardy, while a yellow alert has been issued across eight regions.
Two dead in the Vicenza area
The bodies of two men who went missing were found in the Trissino flood basin (Vicenza), after their car was swallowed by a sinkhole in Valdagno caused by the severe weather. They have been identified as Leone Nardon, 65, and his son Francesco, 34.
The bodies were recovered by firefighters just hours apart, following an overnight search after the pair were reported missing on Thursday evening. It’s believed they were on their way to the town hall as volunteers to help with the emergency response, after hearing about the widespread flooding in the area.
"I send my condolences to the family and the community of Valdagno, which has been so harshly struck this Good Friday by an extreme weather event, both in its intensity and the amount of rain that has fallen," said Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region.
"I'd like to thank the regional Civil Protection, the Vicenza engineering corps, all the volunteers and the rescue workers who are currently working in the Agno Valley and other affected areas."
In the Turin area, another fatality has been reported: a 92-year-old retired carpenter who became trapped in his home in Monteu da Po and is thought to have drowned.
According to early estimates, the damage caused by the storm in Piedmont could amount to tens of millions of euros, said Marco Gabusi, the regional councillor for Civil Protection.
"Heavy rain has already caused landslides, flooding, evacuations and, unfortunately, the collapse of a bridge – this is a situation that demands the utmost attention," Gabusi said.
More than 700 firefighters are on the ground, dealing with floodwater, removing fallen trees, and securing landslide-hit areas, particularly around Turin.
Red alert for Po River flooding
There is maximum alert for the risk of river flooding, following the heavy rainfall. The main concern is the River Po, which could burst its banks at the border between Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, having risen by nearly five metres in the past 24 hours.
The flood is expected to pass through Emilia with water levels close to alert level three.
The weather forecast suggests a return of sunshine on Friday and partly on Saturday, but it will be only a brief respite: between Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, rain is expected to return to central and northern Italy, while the south should remain sunny.
Heavy snowfalls hit Italy, France and Switzerland
Heavy snowfall struck the southern Alps on Thursday, causing travel disruption and power outages.
In France, avalanche warnings reached level five in places such as Chamonix, with reports of over a metre of snow falling in some areas.
In Switzerland, the snow has disrupted both road and rail transport and left several areas in the canton of Valais without power. Schools in the region were closed on Thursday as a precaution.
In Zermatt, authorities set up emergency meeting points to distribute essential supplies amid ongoing power cuts, according to local sources.
Local media reported that snowfall of this intensity has not been recorded in central Valais in April since 1976.
