Hail like snow on the asphalt, trees uprooted, roofs damaged, blackouts and gusts so violent they blew off the glass doors of a shopping mall. This is the outcome of the violent phenomenon that crossed the Veneto in the late afternoon of Monday 11 May, hitting several provinces in just a few minutes with intense rain, ice chips and very strong winds.
From Veneto we receive images of fields, car parks and roads covered in white:
A rapid but very violent storm line, which mainly affected the Verona area, the Treviso area, the eastern part of Venice and some areas of the Padua area, leaving behind damage, inconvenience and dozens of interventions by the firefighters. According to initial reconstructions, the tornadoes caused tree falls, damage to roofs, flooded roads and traffic problems in several places in the region.
In the Verona area, one of the most impressive images comes from the Adigeo shopping center in Verona, where the gusts tore off some glass doors. In the city there have been fallen trees, damaged roofs and numerous safety interventions.
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The Venetian coast was also particularly affected. In Caorle a waterspout was spotted off the Adriatic, while between Bibione and the surrounding areas the wind knocked down trees and caused damage to campsites, tourist facilities, second homes and crops.
Large hailstones, which fell in bursts within a few hours, caused damage to vineyards, orchards and vegetable crops.
In some areas checks and safety operations became necessary after the disturbance had passed.
The hail also caused major traffic disruptions. Along the A4 motorway, particularly between Cessalto and Portogruaro, intense rain and ice reduced visibility and made the asphalt slippery, forcing several motorists to stop. In the Treviso area and eastern Veneto, in several places, hailstones covered roads and fields, transforming the landscape into a white expanse in just a few minutes.
The transport network was also affected. In Mestre, a blackout temporarily interrupted tram service and there were problems with mobility. The situation required a large rescue deployment across the region, with firefighting teams working until the night to deal with unsafe trees, flooding, damaged roofs and wind-struck structures.
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Extreme events become the norm
We are no longer faced with “anomalous” episodes to be dismissed as simple seasonal bad weather. Violent hailstorms, tornadoes, sudden gusts and lightning storms are becoming more frequent and increasingly destructive. We are in late spring, the period in which we should be talking about longer days and walks outdoors, and instead we increasingly find ourselves counting felled trees, damaged houses, destroyed cars and people forced to leave campsites and homes in a few hours.
It is no longer just “bad weather”: it is the climate crisis that enters daily life, even in the months that we once associated with rebirth and mildness. Such violent events are becoming the norm, and the price is paid by the territories, the communities and those who find themselves, from one moment to the next, having to deal with the fragility of what they took for granted.
