Hail storm in Italy destroys cars, leaves more than 100 injured

A hail storm hit Italy. At least 110 people were injured by the ice rain in Veneto, Italy, this Thursday (20). The cities affected were Padua, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza. Portions of hail went viral due to their appearance similar to the shape of tennis balls. More than 500 requests for help were requested and reported by the authorities.

In addition to the injured people and the distress calls, several vehicles suffered from the destruction of their windows and damage to their bodies. The region’s rural area, famous for growing grapes, was also affected.

The President of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia commented on what happened:

“Granite devastation in Veneto. The hail that fell was absolutely out of the ordinary, up to 10cm in diameter.”declared Zaia.

LA DEVASTAZIONE DELLA GRANDINE IN VENETO!

La grandine caduta è stata resolutely outside the community, thin at 10 cm in diameter.

Insertò in mattinata tutti i comuni colpiti dalla grandine nello Stato di Emergenza Regionale firmato ieri per il Bellunese. pic.twitter.com/YFnlM8guXA

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— Luca Zaia (@zaiapresidente) July 20, 2023

_{Aftermath of the hail storm in Italy. (Reproduction/Twitter: @zaiapresidente)}

Countries across Europe have been dealing with weather issues in recent days, including Spain, Greece and Italy. The city of Rome, the Italian capital, hit 41 degrees on Tuesday (18), reaching 41.8 degrees, surpassing the heat record of 40 degrees that it had in the month of June.

the case

The place that suffered the most from the ice storm was Treviso, with 350 requests for help in just one night, but other cities also suffered from the problem, including Padua, Venice, Verona and Vicenza, according to Italian newspapers.

The newspaper La Repubblica described the episode as one of strong impact, as if “the trunks of the trees were destroyed like toothpicks”.

The vehicle described the event as a “downburst”, which happens when storm currents come into contact with the hot air present in the environment, resulting in super impactful rains, as happened in the country.

According to the newspaper, this situation is caused by the consequent climate changes that occur in the continent.

Europe’s climate problems

Last month, the UN (United Nations) with Copernicus published an article that shows the increase twice as high in Europe compared to the world average since the 1980s, with marks 2.3ºC higher than the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900)

Among the reasons that cause the increase in temperature on the continent, as happened in Greece and Italy that reached 40 degrees, is directly related to the anticyclone, which presses the heat wave located in North Africa towards the European region. Another point that influences is El Niño, responsible for warming the waters of the Pacific Ocean, causing an increase in temperature in the years that this event takes place.

Featured photo: Ice storm in Italy. Playback/Twitter: @Radio1Rai