Wave of bad weather hits Northern Italy, forecast for the next few days

A wave of extreme bad weather has hit Northern Italy and the French Alps causing serious damage , one victim and significant infrastructure disruption.

In Bardonecchia , in the province of Turin, the flooding of the Rio Frejus, caused by a violent storm, caused the death of Franco Chiaffrino, a 70-year-old greengrocer. The tragedy shocked the local community, with Cardinal Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa, who expressed his condolences to the family, underlining the unpredictability of nature and the recurrence of extreme events, this being the second flood in two years in Bardonecchia.

The situation in the municipality of Alta Val Susa is gradually returning to normal: the A32 motorway and regional rail links have been reopened after being closed due to flooding, while state road 335 remains blocked due to mud. Debris and mud cleaning operations are underway, with teams of technicians and Anas workers working to restore traffic flow. Residents of the areas at risk, initially welcomed in the sports hall or with friends and relatives, have been given the green light to return to their homes.

The Head of the National Department of Civil Protection, Fabio Ciciliano, together with the regional councilor Marco Gabusi and the mayor Chiara Rossetti, carried out an inspection to assess the damage and plan safety measures. The Minister of Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, highlighted the fragility of the territory, underlining how constructions in risk areas and the lack of maintenance have aggravated the consequences. He also declared that the government will evaluate a request for a state of emergency if advanced by Piedmont.

In Valtellina , in Valdisotto (Sondrio), three debris flows hit the hamlets of Tola and Aquilone, causing the evacuation of over 60 people, who were staying in a hotel. Provincial Road 27 is closed in three places, with damage also to the junction of State Road 38. The firefighters, supported by reinforcements from Lecco, Como, Brescia and Bergamo, together with the Civil Protection of the province of Sondrio, are working to clean up the areas invaded by mud. The regional councilor for Civil Protection, Romano La Russa, thanked the operators, while the councilor Massimo Sertori announced the request to A2A to retain water in the dams to facilitate the work, in view of further forecast rains. An aerial inspection made it possible to assess the extent of the damage, recalling the 1987 tragedy in Val Pola.

In Cadore , a landslide with a 100-meter front and 4 meters high, coming from the Sorapiss group, blocked the Strada statale 51 di Alemagna between San Vito di Cadore and Cortina d'Ampezzo, also causing the closure of the adjacent cycle path for safety reasons. A second debris flow further complicated the situation, with an estimated 20,000 cubic meters of material. The firefighters of Belluno and Verona, with wheel loaders and excavators, are busy removing the debris. The Veneto Region, led by Luca Zaia, has extended the regional state of emergency, including the entire Boite Valley, with the aim of ensuring rapid interventions. The reopening of the state road could take at least six days, barring favorable weather conditions.

In the French Alps , the Maurienne valley has been hit by the Charmaix torrent flood, the most serious in 70 years, with floods invading the streets of Modane and Fourneaux, reaching 50 cm in height. The Milan-Paris railway line, operated by SNCF, is interrupted between Modane and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne due to mudslides on the tracks, with a partial resumption scheduled for July 5 and a return to normality in mid-July, barring meteorological complications. The prefecture of Savoie has confirmed the interruption of rail traffic between France and Italy until further notice.

In Valle d'Aosta , the regional road 47 to Cogne, blocked by two landslides for about 800 meters, was reopened in the late afternoon of July 1st in both directions, thanks to the interventions coordinated by the Region and the Municipalities of Cogne and Aymavilles.

In Emilia-Romagna , the Civil Protection has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms, with possible intense phenomena forecast for July 2, especially on the Emilia-Romagna Apennines. In Valsamoggia, emergency procedures have been requested to address the hydrogeological instability, in particular for the road of via del Segaticcio in Savigno, hit by landslides and subsidence.

In Lombardy , the Region has allocated 1.6 million euros for 18 emergency interventions by the Land Reclamation Consortia in the provinces of Cremona, Lodi, Milan and Bergamo, to repair the damage to the water network caused by bad weather between September 2024 and March 2025.

In Palermo , the municipal administration has started maintenance work on the Borsellino and Celona canals, with an investment of 134,184.17 euros to remove debris and vegetation, preventing hydraulic emergencies.

In Calabria , the Council of Ministers has allocated 17 million euros for the damage caused by the floods of October 2024 in the municipalities of Catanzaro and Reggio, as recognized by Undersecretary Wanda Ferro, who praised the attention of the Meloni government. Furthermore, the deputy Domenico Furgiuele underlined the arrival of 39 million euros for floods and water crisis, together with works on the Ionian-Tyrrhenian axis to improve the road system.

Weather forecast for July 2, 2025

The forecast indicates an intensification of bad weather in the North , with scattered thunderstorms , especially in the Alps and in the mountains, while in the Center and South the sun and extreme heat will persist , with temperatures between 37 and 40°C . In Emilia-Romagna , the yellow alert for thunderstorms will concern the Apennines, with possible intense phenomena. In Piedmont , the yellow alert for thunderstorms is confirmed for areas A, B, C, D and E, with an intensification of phenomena in the afternoon. Showers are expected in the central Apennines and possible isolated but strong thunderstorms, which could cause further inconvenience.

In the North , the sultry heat will continue, with high temperatures in the Po Valley, but there is fear of the arrival of violent phenomena, such as hailstorms and gusts of wind , in view of a more intense stormy break expected for the weekend of 5-6 July , which could lead to a drop in temperatures of 10°C.

The situation remains critical , with weather alerts active and interventions underway to restore safety. The Civil Protection and local authorities are mobilized to monitor the evolution and limit the damage, but the vulnerability of the Italian territory, as highlighted in Bardonecchia, Valtellina and Cadore, requires a systemic approach to address future climate challenges.