Italy lashed by wind: record gusts, fallen trees and damage between Lombardy and Liguria (with low-level snow also in the centre)

Lombardy is caught in the grip of strong winds: in Como and on the lake, gusts exceed 80 km/h, with peaks of 83.7 km/h in Brunate and 88.5 km/h in Pian di Spagna. After last night’s hailstorm which also affected part of the Varese area, today the wind is the main protagonist, moving objects, overturning scooters and making the lake particularly choppy.

Damage and inconvenience in the province of Varese

The province of Varese was also hit by gusts of up to 120 km/h in Campo dei Fiori, with over 80 km/h in the city. The Municipality has ordered precautionary closures of parks, gardens and streets at risk, inviting citizens and businesses to secure objects and mobile structures.

The night between Wednesday and Thursday was “fiery”: fallen trees blocked roads, unroofed roofs damaged industrial warehouses and temporary blackouts affected areas such as Schiranna. On the provincial road that connects Cocquio to Orino, motorists used their bare hands to clear a road blocked by a log. And yet another huge tree fell on the main road of Via Caracciolo in Varese, completely obstructing the road and leading to the closure of the road to traffic.

Milan hit: trees and sheets of metal uprooted

The orange alert does not even spare Milan and its hinterland where gusts reached 90 km/h, causing the fall of trees, branches and advertising billboards. The firefighters have already carried out around 25 interventions, fortunately without injuries. Parks, cemeteries, museums and schools located in green areas were closed as a precaution, while open market operators and owners of outdoor areas were invited to secure tents and mobile structures. Palazzo Marino reminds you to avoid green areas, scaffolding and tree-lined areas for the duration of the alert.

Exceptional gusts in Friuli and Liguria

Not only the North West, but also the North East: in the Pordenone area, on Monte Rest, a record gust reached 216 km/h, while on the plains speeds fluctuated between 40 and 70 km/h. In Liguria, northern winds reach 130 km/h on Monte Pennello, with rough seas and waves of up to 4 meters off the coast of La Spezia. A flight from Naples was diverted to Pisa for the safety of passengers. Here too, the strong wind warning remains valid until Friday, with the recommendation to pay maximum attention along the coasts, valley bottoms and exposed areas.

Snowfall in the Center and wind in Southern Italy

The disturbance also involves the Center and the South. In Umbria it snows at low altitude, between Castelluccio di Norcia and Colfiorito, while in Molise the gusts have damaged buildings and roofs. In Ravenna and on the Adriatic coasts, parks and cemeteries are closed due to expected gusts of up to 80 km/h.

Emilia-Romagna is hit by a real storm of wind and snow, with accumulations of up to 50 centimeters on the Emilian Apennines and gusts reaching 100 km/h on the plains and in the cities. The disturbance transformed March into an early winter, painting Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena and Bologna white, and forcing snow plows to also go into action on the A14, between Faenza and Forlì. The E45 was closed in Bagno di Romagna to ensure safety, while unchained trucks remained stranded on mountain roads. Even in the Veneto mountains and in Mugello, unseasonal snowflakes of up to 30 centimeters fell, with a sharp drop in temperatures and a drop in the freezing point up to 800 metres.

The wave of strong and cold winds will continue throughout the day, with possible effects on transport, urban streets and commercial activities, making the national territory particularly fragile and vulnerable in these hours. A sudden bite of cold just in the days when spring begins which, today, however, seems very far away.

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