Thirty -four millimeters of rain in just fifteen minutes. This is the data, recorded precisely from the station of the regional functional center between 13:15 and 13:30 today, which photographs the exceptional storm that hit the Portoferraio, a municipality of the island of Elba of almost 12,000 inhabitants. An event as quick as it is violent, which has unleashed a critical chain throughout the municipal area.
The intensity of the phenomenon was confirmed and expanded by the President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, who through his social channels spoke of “70 mm of rain fallen in less than an hour”, a volume of water that quickly saturated the urban drainage system. The immediate consequences have been widespread flooding that affected not only the roads, but also numerous commercial activities, with offices and shops invaded by the water.
Strong storm on the island of Elba with flooding and interventions during the civil protection system. 70 mm of rain fallen in less than an hour in Portoferraio. We pay maximum attention. In the next 3 hours still the possibility of scattered storms, locally strong, more likely on the western provinces.
Posted by Eugenio Giani on Tuesday, September 9, 2025
On the field, the rescue car moved promptly. Fire Brigade teams and the regional civil protection system have been engaged in dozens of interventions. Among the most delicate operations, those aimed at recovering people who were stuck within the underpasses, made impractical in a few moments. To further aggravate the management of the emergency, a total blackout of communications: the interruption of all the telephone lines has made the requests for help and the coordination of the forces on the field complex. This situation pushed the municipality of Portoferraio to thin out an urgent notice, exhorting citizens to stay at home and not to drive.
This event is located within a wider weather alert, formalized by the Regional Civil Protection Operations Room. An orange code for strong thunderstorms and hydrogeological risk was issued, valid from 17:00 today, Tuesday 9 September, until 13:00 tomorrow, Wednesday 10. The areas affected by this higher level alert are the coastal and western areas of Tuscany, specifically the provinces of Lucca, Pisa, Livorno, Grosseto and west sectors of the provinces of Florence and Siena. Forecasts indicate the possibility of associated phenomena such as hailstorms and strong winds. For the remaining areas of the region, the alert remains at a lower level (yellow code) but with a validity extended until midnight tomorrow.
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