Yellow alert for thunderstorms and hydrogeological risk in Sicily.

The Civil Protection has issued a yellow weather alert for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, valid for several areas of Sicily. The notice concerns both the risk of thunderstorms and the hydrogeological risk, with an ordinary level of criticality. The affected areas are the Southeastern part (Strait of Sicily and Ionian slopes), the Simeto River Basin, the Central-Southern region, and the Pelagie Islands.

According to the bulletin, locally intense thundery precipitation is expected, with possible development in the afternoon. The phenomena could lead to issues such as surface runoff, difficulties in water drainage, and critical conditions along minor watercourses. The rest of the country, however, remains under generally stable atmospheric conditions.

The situation will be monitored throughout the day in relation to the evolution of cloud systems and the distribution of precipitation. The yellow alert represents the first level of attention in the national warning system.

The Italian weather alert system is based on a color-coded classification (yellow, orange, red) corresponding to levels of criticality (ordinary, moderate, high). This system was established by the Directive of the President of the Council of Ministers on February 27, 2004, and later standardized with the Operational Guidelines of February 10, 2016.

Alerts are issued by the Civil Protection based on assessments from the Decentralized Functional Centers of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. The national territory is divided into homogeneous alert zones with respect to the type and intensity of expected weather phenomena. For the thunderstorm risk, introduced in 2016, the red level is not provided, as such intense phenomena already fall under the scenario of maximum criticality for hydrogeological risk.

The late September period typically represents a transition phase between summer and autumn, characterized by alternating atmospheric stability and sudden episodes of instability. Current conditions feature an anticyclonic ridge over the Mediterranean, ensuring fair weather across much of Italy, while instability is concentrated locally in the far South.