Live the harsh alpine climate. Two dead and 15 injured – Northern Italy prepares to receive the “King of Storms” | Weather News

The storm is hitting northern Italy again, especially the Lombardy region and places on the Milan-Trento-Udine line. One has to deal with the fiercest thunderstorm of its kind, the so-called “supercell” or “king of showers”.

In addition to heavy rains and lightning, hailstones from 5 to 10 centimeters in size fall. The Italian daily La Repubblica even talks about “hailstones as big as tennis balls”. Residents should also take into account wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

Electricity was cut off in several neighborhoods in Seregno, near Monza.

In Monza, in northern Italy, a 64-year-old woman was rescued by the police today from the water. This was reported by the Italian daily newspapers “La Repubblica” and “Il Giorno”. The woman said she was dragged into the tunnel by the water, which reached a depth of three meters.

In the same city, the train station was also closed after gusts of wind destroyed the roof of the station.

On the weather map released this morning, ESTOFEX is shown in purple as the heaviest storms are expected for today and tonight. In addition to northern Italy, Austria, Slovenia, western Slovakia and Hungary could also suffer. “Be prepared to take cover when you’re in the purple zone. Take this situation seriously, ”warns French climate expert Nahil Pelgers.

According to ESTOFEX, the first supercells developed over the Alps during the afternoon. Large to very large hailstones combined with strong winds have a high potential for damage in these types of storms.

During the evening, temperatures will begin to drop from the west, making it easier for the storm to move into low-lying areas. Then it is expected to be the fiercest storm. “In some places, there is a risk of very large hailstones (from 5 to 10cm) to giant hailstones (larger than 10cm) and very strong winds. The combination of the two can cause a lot of damage.”

Although the conditions are not ideal, some previous cases show that “strong hurricanes and hurricanes are also possible,” according to ESTOFEX.

Northern Italy will be the first to experience severe storms. Then they will move east across the northern Adriatic Sea towards Slovenia and/or northern Croatia. After that it will get quieter, but Italy in particular risks some additional thunderstorms with hail overnight.

Swiss police La Chaux-de-Fonds and Neuchâtel are asking residents to be careful and stay at home, for exampleAnother thunderstorm will be on the way.

Earlier today, a death occurred A Chau du Fond by storm. A man in his fifties was in a car that had been crushed by a construction crane. Also, 15 people were injured in the city. Nothing is known about their condition.

The storm itself this morning didn’t last long, but the strong gusts of wind did a lot of damage. Several vehicles were damaged or completely destroyed, roofs ripped off and trees uprooted. The railway network and bus services in the region were also affected by the storm.

According to the Swiss meteorological service MétéoSuisse, it was a “potential tornado associated with a rapidly developing thunderstorm cell along the Jura mountain range (a mountain range on the border between France and Switzerland, ed.)” that reached the city on Monday morning. MétéoSuisse recorded a wind gust of 217 kilometers per hour at La Chaux-de-Fonds airport, “under a thunderstorm cell that suddenly intensified upon arrival in the area.”

Authorities even compared this morning’s storm to a hurricane in 1926 that destroyed 30 farms.

Meanwhile, the emergency services are continuing their rescue operations and cleaning up the city. Police are asking residents to avoid hazards, such as falling roof tiles or trees, and to stay indoors as much as possible.

An American Delta Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Rome after it encountered problems due to inclement weather as it departed from Milan Malpensa Airport. Flight Dl 185 was en route to New York, but was damaged shortly after takeoff. The plane landed safely, according to Delta, but photos show it was badly damaged.