Towns and cities throughout
central and northern Italy experienced heavy rainfall on
Thursday, including Padua where a hospital clinic was flooded
with 10 cm of water, and the island of Sardinia, where 50
structures were damaged by water and mud.
Heavy rainstorms with lightning, strong winds, and hail in
some areas are expected on Friday in Sardinia and the regions of
Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo
and Molise, according to a weather alert released Thursday
afternoon by the country's civil protection department.
The heavy rains are troubling in areas where the grape
harvest is already underway, said the Confederation of Italian
Farmers (CIA).
It said the crops most at risk, however, are fruits nearly
ready for harvest, such as kiwi and olive.
Farm association Coldiretti said Italian agriculture has
suffered 14 billion euros' worth of damage over the past decade
due to unusual weather events linked to climate change.
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