Hardships and critical situations due to bad weather in various parts of Italy. And the forecasts for tomorrow, May 15, and for the next few days, do not bode well. In Ravenna, for example, the Rescue Coordination Center was convened in the prefecture, with all the mayors, the Region, Arpae, Consortia, firefighters in view of the “worrying weather forecasts expected on Tuesday and next Wednesday”. The Regional Agency Director Rita Nicolini and Sandro Nanni of Arpae will also participate in the meeting. And the situation is also worrying in Sicily, due to landslides and flooding, with flooded roads. On the island the alert has been red since 15 May. And the mayor of Trapani Giacomo Tranchida it has already ordered the closure of all schools of all levels, public, private and equal, and of the Conservatory. The same decision was taken in Palermo, where the ordinance is being defined by the mayor Roberto Lagalla.
The landslide in Reggio Emilia
A landslide occurred on provincial road 7 in the province of Reggio Emilia, in the Montelusino di Baiso area. No damage to vehicles and no injuries, but the road is closed in both directions. Personnel from the provincial road maintenance service intervened and an inspection will be carried out in the next few hours to verify the possibility of carrying out the clearance safely. The stretch closed due to a landslide, explains the Province, is not involved in the passage of the tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia, which will start on Tuesday morning from Iano di Scandiano for Viareggio. The Casina carabinieri also intervened on the spot.
Forecasts
Bad weather will already affect Sicily from the early hours of tomorrow, Monday 15 May, with heavy rains and thunderstorms, especially in the western sectors. During the day the phenomena will extend over a large part of southern Italy, also accompanied by a decisive reinforcement of the winds. Also significant cumulative rainfall is expected, extending to Campania, Basilicata, Puglia and Molise. The phenomena will be accompanied by heavy showers, lightning, possible hailstorms and strong gusts of wind. Furthermore, from the late morning of tomorrow, strong winds are expected, with gusts of strong storms, from the western quadrants over Sicily, extended to Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia. Sea storms along exposed coasts.
Coldiretti’s concerns
Since the beginning of May, 89 extreme events have hit the Peninsula including windstorms, hailstorms and violent thunderstorms that have hit cities and countryside all along the Peninsula with damage to crops, from fruit to vegetables, but also chard, sunflower, barley and wheat up to the olive trees and vineyards. This is what emerges from the analysis of Coldiretti on Eswd data on the occasion of the new yellow weather alert in eight regions and red in Emilia Romagna where an attempt is made to secure the territory devastated by a very serious calamity. It is – Coldiretti underlines – an abrupt climate change after the first quarter of 2023 had recorded 15% less rainfall but with peaks of over 40% less in the north, compared to the historical average. On land made fragile by drought, real water bombs have been hit, causing landslides and floods with many rivers in full flood, which worry the surrounding areas. After a long shoal, the water courses quickly swelled as demonstrated by the level of the river Po which rose to -1.8 meters at the Ponte della Becca, about one meter higher than in the same period last year, while the percentage Filling capacity of Lake Maggiore has even risen to 94%, that of Lake Como to 77% and only that of Garda, at 54%, remains below the average for the period, according to monitoring by Coldiretti. These sudden changes cause losses in national agricultural production and damage to structures and infrastructures in the countryside which in 2023 risk exceeding the 6 billion estimated for last year.