Rome, August 20, 2026 – Bad weather hits Northern Italy. And a new weather alert is expected for tomorrow. Today a lightning strike caused the control room of the Ventimiglia station to malfunction, effectively blocking traffic at the Ligurian hub. In Liguria there is an orange alert: rain and hailstorms are forecast, with severe thunderstorms in Tigullio. Landslides and flooding are also affecting northern Lombardy. An orange alert has been issued from 10 p.m. today until 6 p.m. tomorrow for central-northern Tuscany. About 150 people have been evacuated in South Tyrol due to a landslide that hit the San Cassiano area. In the South, the heatwave continues.
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Over the weekend, a general improvement is expected thanks to the return of high pressure, with residual phenomena in the North and some afternoon showers along the Apennines. For next week, however, the possibility of a new intense resurgence of the African anticyclone is increasing, with temperatures that could rise to about 10 degrees above seasonal averages.
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Damage and disruptions were caused by a downpour accompanied by strong gusts of wind that today battered the town of Chivasso (Turin). Cases of roofs torn off and trees falling were reported; a masonry structure collapsed on some parked cars.
In the province of Como, in Domaso, the stream overflowed causing the closure of the Regina state road in the town overlooking the lake. In the municipality of Forni, in the province of Sondrio, the Forni basin, managed by Edison, overflowed and technicians intervened on site. A pedestrian bridge collapsed and the access road to the basin was closed. In the province of Brescia, a landslide in Sonico caused the collapse of the bridge over the Rabbia stream connecting the hamlet of Rino to the municipality, and the Tonale state road was closed. For the same reason, the Malonno Edolo railway line is also interrupted. Also in Brescia, a landslide affected the road in Vione. In the province of Bergamo, four localities in the upper Brembana Valley – Branzi, Valleve, Carona, and Foppolo – are isolated due to a landslide in the territory of Isola di Fondra, near Trebuchello, and due to heavy rains, the Carona dam and the Borleggia Waterfall in Branzi have reached their maximum capacity.
The Aurelia state road has been closed to traffic in both directions at Zoagli in the eastern part of Genoa at the ‘Scogliera’ locality between Rapallo and Chiavari due to the danger of falling rocks following the bad weather. The Municipality of Zoagli announced this, reminding that the only alternative is the A12 motorway while waiting for the activation of alternating one-way traffic. In conjunction with the orange weather alert issued by the Ligurian Regional Environmental Protection Agency (Arpal), Anas announces the temporary closure of the Pizzo tunnel along the Aurelia in Arenzano in the western part of Genoa from 3 a.m. tomorrow until the weather alert ends. The measure is adopted as a precaution regarding the safety conditions of the section previously affected by landslides. During the closure, traffic will be diverted to the A10 motorway between the Arenzano and Genoa Prà toll booths.
About 150 people have been evacuated in South Tyrol: a new landslide hit the Val Badia this afternoon following a violent bad weather event. A large amount of mud, debris, and rock material detached near San Cassiano, invading the road leading to Capanna Alpina. The road was completely closed to traffic and a large-scale rescue operation was launched. Emergency teams secured numerous hikers and climbers who were in the area at the time of the landslide. Another six people, who were higher up and could not safely return, were rescued by the Aiut Alpin emergency helicopter and transported downhill. No one was injured. On site are the volunteer firefighters of San Cassiano, along with the White Cross, mountain rescue, and the carabinieri.
Due to severe bad weather, the Belluno Fire Brigade has been engaged since 2 p.m. today in a series of interventions for fallen trees and deposits of gravel and debris on the road surface in various areas of the province. Among the most affected areas is the locality of Igne along SP251, in the municipality of Longarone, where traffic was momentarily interrupted due to a tree falling on the roadway, as well as the areas of Caprile, Colle Santa Lucia, and Falcade, where teams intervened to remove trees and material and to secure the affected road sections. Overall, up to now, 8 interventions have been managed, involving the permanent teams of the Command and volunteers from the detachments in the affected areas.
Rail traffic along the Genoa-Ventimiglia line returned to normal from 4:30 p.m. after a fault caused by lightning. Trenitalia announced that Intercity and regional trains experienced route limitations and delays of up to 80 minutes. Rail traffic in the Genoa node is recovering. Slowdowns were also recorded during the day on the eastern Ligurian lines due to abnormalities found in some switches on the line.
Thunderstorm risk in Milan where, according to the weather alert issued by the Natural Risk Monitoring Center of the Lombardy Region, parks and libraries, educational services, and the Planetarium located within them will remain closed tomorrow, as well as public swimming pools. Based on metro updates, the opening of green areas and the Solari, Romano, Cardellino, and Sant’Abbondio bathing centers will be evaluated in the afternoon. The Natural History Civic Museum will remain accessible from the entrance of Montanelli Gardens on Corso Venezia through a fenced path away from trees. The Municipality reminds that during alert moments it is important to stay away from green and tree-lined areas, scaffolding, outdoor seating, and tents, and also to secure objects on terraces and balconies.
The Civil Protection “has not had signals of particular criticality. In Chiavari there were localized floods and overall 200 mm of water were absorbed quite well by the watercourses, less so by the manhole system and small tributaries. But the issue is the repetition of phenomena in the next 24 hours. For this reason, the alert was raised from yellow to orange, which is the highest alert level for these phenomena.” This was said by the Civil Protection assessor Giacomo Giampedrone from the operations room. “If the force currently in play tomorrow should converge on the territory already affected today,” Giampedrone said, “the situation would become complex. Hence the raising of the alert. On the other hand, the very high sea temperature and 40 days of high pressure are explosive ingredients when cold fronts arrive.” Tomorrow, besides rain and intense lightning (about 40,000 lightning strikes fell on Liguria in a few hours today), an intense storm surge and gale-force winds are also expected, along with downburst phenomena which, for now, Giampedrone says, “have remained at sea.”
Damage and disruptions in the Genoa area due to the bad weather wave that affected the area. In the early morning hours, firefighters were mainly engaged in Chiavari and Lavagna for several flooded basements and water-invaded underpasses. In Via Nino Bixio in Chiavari, firefighters rescued a person who was trapped inside their van. Photos and videos posted by residents on social networks show streets flooded and underpasses submerged. According to the Civil Protection, over 100 millimeters of rain fell in one hour in the Chiavari area this morning.
A loud boom, then a blackout of command and safety systems. A lightning strike, after hitting a pole, caused a sudden discharge inside the Ventimiglia railway station, causing the control room to malfunction and losing control of rail traffic. The station is blocked: no trains are departing or arriving. Command and safety systems failed and technicians are working to restore the situation. A first intervention only allowed a train with passengers on board, which was already at the gates of the railway yard, to enter the station. Otherwise, traffic remains suspended and the time needed for full restoration is currently unknown.
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