All schools in the Italian city of Genoa are closed today, Tuesday, because of an orange weather alert, city officials said. The alert runs from 7:00 am until midnight.
Forecasters expect up to 200mm of rain in central and western Liguria in just a few hours. Meteorologist Matteo Gussoni says that is what normally falls in about two months.
The city's operations control centre ordered schools of all levels to close. "The operations control centre decided to close schools of all levels for tomorrow, given the forecast and the heavy strain on the ground after the intense rain," the city said in a statement. Officials cited forecasts from the weather service Arpal and said the soil was soaked by heavy rain on Sunday, mostly in the east of the city.
Gussoni said a strong disturbance from the Atlantic is sharply worsening the weather. It is hitting northern Italy first, then the centre and south.
A zone of low pressure over the seas around Italy will deepen and draw in damp air from the Mediterranean and strong southerly winds. Off the Ligurian coast in particular, this could bring very strong, long-lasting storms, the meteorologist added.
He warned of "regenerating" storms. These are thunderstorm systems that barely move and pour rain on the same place for hours. Along the coast, the southerly scirocco wind will gust at more than 50 to 60 km/h.
Heavy, prolonged rain is expected today in the Alps, the Alpine foothills and the plains of northern Italy, especially in Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Tuscany.
In Tuscany, a yellow alert for strong thunderstorms is in force from 3:00 pm until midnight in the central and western parts of the region. Regional president Eugenio Giani warned of torrential rain, flash floods and strong wind from the afternoon, and especially in the evening. The worst will be on the islands, along the coast and in the west, with gusts reaching 60 km/h in the evening.
Authorities advise people to take care when travelling and to follow civil protection warnings.
On Wednesday the bad weather will move to central and southern Italy, mostly along the Tyrrhenian Sea, where heavy showers and thunderstorms are possible. The first improvement is expected on Thursday, 22 October, with more sun across most of Italy.
From Friday, another weather system may hit parts of central and northern Italy.