Italy faces several types of extreme weather at the same time, with parts of the south of the country scorched by scorching heat, while the north is hit by deadly storms.
On Tuesday alone, extreme weather killed at least three people, according to Italian authorities. A teenager and a woman were killed by falling trees as severe storms hit northern Italy in the early hours of the morning.
Italy’s fire brigade said it responded to 400 emergency calls for fallen trees, roof damage, flooding and broken windows after storms caused widespread damage in the area.
In recent days, northern Italy has been hit by severe weather, which has also produced tornadoes and strong winds. Last week, 100 people were injured after a hailstorm the size of a tennis ball hit the Veneto region.
In some parts of Sicily, temperatures reached 47.4 degrees Celsius on Monday, approaching the European temperature record of 48.8 degrees Celsius, set in 2021.
The heat is preparing the landscape for wildfires, which have claimed at least one life. On Tuesday, an 88-year-old woman died on the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily, a government spokesman told the CNN .
The woman, who had serious health problems, died as doctors were unable to reach her due to the wildfires, the charity’s affiliate said. CNN SkyTG24.
More than 40 fires broke out in Sicily on Monday night, including one at the Bellolampo landfill that produced poisonous smoke, according to the Italian fire brigade. More than 1,500 people were evacuated from the affected region and several houses were damaged.
Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino airport was closed for several hours on Tuesday due to the fires, but reopened in the late morning with flights from major airlines being allowed to land and take off with long delays.
Most low-cost airlines were diverted to Trapani airport, according to the airport authority in Palermo. Sicily’s other major airport in Catania has limited service after a fire broke out in one of the terminals last week, according to Catania’s airport authority.
Catania has also been affected by power and water supply cuts in part because of the extreme heat, according to Reuters. Italian Civil Protection and Maritime Policy Minister Nello Musumeci said on Tuesday that Italy is going through very difficult times.
“We are experiencing one of the most complicated days in recent decades: storms, tornadoes, giant hail in the North; torrid heat and devastating fires in the Center-South. While we mourn the three victims of these 24 hours, I feel that I must thank the firefighters, civil protection officials and volunteers, the police forces, forestry workers and all those who are mobilized in the most difficult trenches,” Musumeci said in a Twitter post.
As the man-made climate crisis accelerates, scientists are certain that extreme weather events such as heat waves and storms will become more frequent and intense. A study published on Tuesday found that the heatwave in southern Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change.
Italy, located at the center of climate change in the Mediterranean and surrounded by warm seas, is particularly vulnerable. “The climate turmoil that has hit our nation imposes a change of pace on all of us,” said Musumeci.
Tornado spotted near Milan
Source: CNN Brasil
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