A violent storm hit Rome in the late morning today, mainly hitting the northern quadrant of the capital and causing flooding, haywire traffic and traffic disruptions. The abundant rainfall, accompanied by wind and wind, affected several areas of the city, including Ponte Milvio, Corso Francia, Prati Fiscali, Nuovo Salario, Balduina, Battistini and Monteverde.
Corso Francia transformed into a river, waterspouts on the coast
Among the most affected areas was once again Corso Francia, one of the streets of the capital most exposed to flooding. The water quickly invaded the roadway, making circulation difficult and also dragging with it some bins, which ended up overturned on the road, as shown by the images circulating on social media:
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The storm cell then progressively affected other quadrants of the city, increasing traffic problems.
The situation had been predicted by the Civil Protection, which had issued a yellow warning for Lazio for thunderstorms in various areas, including the Rome Basins, Aniene, the Middle Tiber Basin, the Liri Basin, the North and South Coastal Basins and the Rieti Apennines.
On the coast of Ostia Lido and Fiumicino, however, some waterspouts were spotted.
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Why do these rains become so intense?
The so-called “water bombs” are phenomena characterized by very intense rainfall concentrated in a short time. When large amounts of water rapidly fall onto impervious urban surfaces, such as streets and sidewalks, drainage systems can fail, increasing the risk of flooding.
According to the IPCC, as global temperatures rise, heavy precipitation events tend to become more frequent and intense in many regions. In cities the problem can be amplified by the enormous amount of impervious surfaces: when tens of millimeters of rain fall in a very short time, asphalt and concrete prevent the water from infiltrating the ground and drainage networks may not be able to dispose of it quickly enough.
Weather alert in various regions
The risk of storms does not only concern Lazio. For Friday 18 September the Civil Protection has foreseen a yellow alert due to the risk of storms and hydrogeological criticalities also in these regions:
The expected phenomena include locally intense showers and thunderstorms, with possible critical issues related to flooding, traffic difficulties and hydrogeological phenomena in the most fragile areas.
Sources: Meteo Lazio/Civil Protection
