Bad weather: Orange alert in six regions, schools closed in Liguria

A new and intense wave of bad weather is affecting Italy, with the Civil Protection issuing a warning of adverse weather conditions extending to much of the country. Starting from the late afternoon of Tuesday, October 20th, widespread precipitation, including showers or thunderstorms, is affecting Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, extending from the evening to Umbria, Lazio, Campania, and western sectors of Abruzzo and Molise. The phenomena are accompanied by heavy-intensity showers, strong wind gusts, local hailstorms, and frequent electrical activity.

For the day of Wednesday, October 21st, an orange alert has been assessed for Liguria and parts of Piedmont, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, and Campania. In Liguria, the alert has already led to school closures. A yellow alert has also been assessed in sixteen other regions, including Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily, as well as sectors of other regions. The disturbance, the fifth one, is expected to begin moving away toward the Balkans starting from Thursday, October 22nd.

The Italian civil protection weather alert system is structured across multiple levels and is based on forecasts that highlight situations potentially harmful to people or property, distinct from traditional 'weather forecasts.' This system arose from the need to coordinate responses to extreme weather events that can cause landslides, floods, and other hydrogeological disruptions, particularly relevant in a fragile territory like Italy's. Forecasts are prepared daily by the Regions and the National Department of Civil Protection, which produces the National Meteorological Vigilance Bulletin and the National Criticality/Alert Bulletin.

The process involves each Region or Autonomous Province assessing potential hydraulic and hydrogeological criticalities in its territory based on forecasted weather events. These assessments feed into the national bulletin. It then falls to the Regions to issue alerts to local civil protection systems. Ultimately, it is the Mayors, based on the alerts received, who activate municipal plans, inform citizens, and decide on concrete safety actions, such as closing schools or evacuating at-risk areas. An orange alert indicates high criticality, with intense and dangerous meteorological phenomena forecasted.