A freak storm of Atlantic origin has led to a meteorological emergency on the central regions of Italy, in particular on the Adriatic coast (Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo). There has been considerable damage, with tourists fleeing beaches due to the violent storms.
Grains of hail as big as oranges have fallen in the regional capital Pescara and on parts of the Abruzzo coast. At least twenty people were injured and there was widespread damage to motor vehicles. Flash flooding turned roads into rivers.
Violent hailstorms also hit the Emilia-Romagna region. In the resort town of Rimini, a tourist was surprised by a violent storm while swimming and had to be rescued in a state of shock and hypothermia. In Milano Marittima, in the province of Ravenna, a woman was injured during the storm that swept the area. At least 200 century-old umbrella pine trees have collapsed.
The mayor of Pescara, Carlo Masci, said that "the city is impassable. Police and workers are all in the street, but they are not enough to handle the emergency. Masci said that it was an extraordinary phenomenon, with a very violent hailstorm. The commander of the municipal police of Pescara, Maggitti, added: "It was a phenomenon we have never seen in living memory. A new meteorological reality". The local hospital was flooded, floodwater invaded the ground floor and the operation theatres were closed. The hospital car park was also flooded with dozens of cars submerged by water. Police divers had to intervene.
Coldiretti Marche (Marche farmers federation) said: "We are in a state of emergency, in the farming area of our region the scenario is apocalyptic". Coldiretti mentioned huge damages that "have affected all the provinces and every type of production across the board".
Meanwhile, an analysis, again by Coldiretti, says that since the beginning of the summer there has been an average of six hailstorms per day, twice as many as in the same period of 2018. The damage assessment in the fields has already started. It could amount to millions of euros.
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