Italy experienced a series of devastating thunderstorms in the northern part of the country and forest fires in Sicily, killing at least 5 people.
Early Tuesday morning, violent winds, heavy rainfall, and hailstorms struck the economic capital, Milan, causing streets to be flooded and trees to fall on roads.
The public transportation company reported significant damage to the electricity network, and a journalist from Agence France-Presse mentioned a temporary water outage in the city’s historic center.
While the northern part of Italy dealt with adverse weather conditions, the south faced an intense heatwave, with Catania in Sicily recording a scorching 47.6 degrees Celsius on Monday, according to civil protection authorities.
Throughout the night, firefighters battled several wildfires in Sicily, one of which approached the vicinity of Palermo Airport, leading to its closure for several hours in the morning.
The railway transportation was also affected by these fires.