Northern Italy hit by violent storms, 'walnut-sized' hail

(ANSA) - Rome, May 15 - Violent rain storms with hail reported to be "big as a walnut" hit northern Italy on Friday, from Milan to the areas around Turin and Val d'Aosta near the French and Swiss borders.
    The walnut-sized hail was reported in Bibiana, Bricherasio and Campiglione Fenile, all in the province of Turin, and hailstorms also hit the area around Fossano with high winds in Cuneo, about an hour and a half south of Turin.
    Meanwhile in the Val d'Aosta, snow was reported above 1,500 metres and was particularly intense in the Mt Blanc (Monte Bianco) area between La Thuile and Courmayeur.
    In Milan, where Expo 2015 is underway, heavy rain and wind was expected throughout the day in the northern part of the city, but in Lombardy in general the rainfall was less intense than forecasts had earlier predicted and water levels were all below critical threshold.