Heavy hailstorms hit Veneto in northern Italy overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. More than 100 people were injured, local authorities said. Residents compare the size of hailstones to tennis balls. During storms, the wind tore off roofs and snapped trees.
Violent storms with gusty winds toppling trees, passed over much of the region and caused significant damage. The head of the regional government, Luca Zaia, said on Thursday that 110 people suffered various injuries due to the hail and broken windows as a result.
Hail the size of tennis balls
Residents say the hail was the size of tennis balls. Photos of Internet users documenting large hailstones and the damage they left behind appeared on the web.
The local farmers’ union, Coldiretti, said none of the provinces were spared the storm, which caused heavy damage to farmlands, orchards and vineyards.
Broken roofs and broken trees
Luca Zaia of the regional authority added that the damage was being repaired. The wind tore off the roofs of houses and damaged cars.
The wind broke treesENEX
The firefighters had their hands fullENEX
The newspaper La Repubblica reported that the violent phenomena affected all provinces of Veneto. The newspaper wrote of “branches lying in the streets, torrents of muddy water and roof tiles thrown hundreds of meters away”.
A strong storm with hail also passed near Mantua in Lombardy. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the hail shattering the windows there was the size of lemons. Roofs, cars and crops were damaged. The wind broke trees.
40 degree heat in Italy
The center and south of Italy are struggling with heat for another day in a row. 18 cities are on the highest level of alert due to temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. This is Rome as well as Bari, Cagliari, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Latina, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Ancona, Pescara, Reggio di Calabria, Rieti and Viterbo.
PAP, “La Repubblica”, ANSA, tvnmeteo.pl
Main photo source: twitter.com/Repubblica