Italian authorities announced a storm warning in the northern regions of the country due to heavy rains and snowfalls, reports Corriere della Serra.
Powerful storms appeared in northern Italy on Thursday, paralyzing almost all of the region’s highways and leaving several cities without electricity.
For example, in the Liguria region, gusty wind and heavy rainfall in the form of snow and rain led to significant interruptions in the operation of the railway, as well as interruptions in road traffic, and in the administrative center of Liguria, a landslide damaged two houses, leaving more than 50 people without roof over your head.
Meteorologists note that in the region over the past day, the norm of precipitation was significantly exceeded. They also do not rule out the possibility of flooding.
According to Corriere della Serra, inclement weather also affected the frequency of avalanches converging from alpine mountains in the north of the country. A 24-year-old French snowboarder, covered by an avalanche, became a victim of the weather. Unfortunately, the doctors could not save the young man: they fought for his life for more than an hour, but later he died in a hospital in Piemonte.
In the Trentino-Alto-Adige region (Trentino-Alto-Adige) traffic due to heavy snowfall is almost completely blocked on motorways, including those connecting Italy with Switzerland. Local authorities say that due to security concerns, the Cortina d'ampezzo ski resort, popular in the region, has been suspended.
Due to inclement weather, the Genova Airport was temporarily closed. Due to gusty winds and severe thunderstorms, it was also decided to stop the functioning of the port in the administrative center of the Sardinia region (Sardegna).
The authorities of Venice (Venezia) note that the sea level in the city exceeded a critical mark of 115 cm. They also report that the central square of the city of San Marco (San Marko) was already under water, like many other areas of Venice.
However, today it became known that the elements are leaving the Apennine Peninsula. On Friday, the sun appeared in the central and northern parts of the country due to clouds. In other regions of Italy it is still raining, but not as strong as yesterday.
Last month, the land of sun and wine collided with the Cleopatra storm, which caused significant damage. In November, the island of Sardinia became the epicenter of the elements, with heavy rainfall that caused flooding. According to local authorities, in about two days, about seventeen people died on the island.
Due to the rampant disasters in the region, road and rail services were also paralyzed, schools and kindergartens were suspended. Great damage occurred in the north-eastern part of the island, where the city of Olbia is located.
Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta announced a storm warning in the region and said that the Cleopatra storm had become a national tragedy. Mourning was declared in the country.
The damage caused by the elements is estimated at approximately 20 million euros. However, the Italian government readily provided the necessary amount of money to deal with the effects of the storm.