Three tornadoes wreak havoc in Northern Italy
Image credit: Tornadoes in Italy/Alessio
Three tornadoes touched down in Northern Italy, on September 22, 2023 — two in Lombardy, affecting regions including Milan, Rho, and Pregnana Milanese, and one in Piedmont. The twisters uprooted trees and caused damage to structures, impacting both residential areas and transportation services.
The most severe consequences were experienced in the towns of Milan, Rho — where 1 person was injured, and Pregnana Milanese. Local emergency services said they received numerous calls for destroyed roofs and downed trees.
The Milan Fire Brigade Provincial Command stated that Pregnana Milanese bore the brunt of the tornadoes, with the most severe damage being to roofs and trees. No human casualties were reported.
A second damaging tornado hit the Bernareggio area in the province of Monca. This tornado was even more visible, thanks to the larger cone and less precipitation around it.
The third tornado formed in Piedmont from a supercell near Gattinara. The vortex probably passed over the hills east of the city without causing damage, MeteoTornado.it reported, adding that the two tornadoes in Lombardy could both be classified as F1 (winds above 117km/h/ 73 mph) while the Piedmont one will remain an F0.
Extensive rainfall data were recorded in various parts of Lombardy. For instance, 184 mm (7.2 inches) were registered in Valcanale di Ardesio, 135 mm (5.3 inches) in Fraciscio di Campodolcino, and 136 mm (5.3 inches) in Pescegallo di Gerola Alta. Other regions such as Olmo al Brembo experienced 112 mm (4.4 inches) of rainfall, Colere had 111 mm (4.3 inches), and Valbondione saw 93 mm (3.6 inches).
Additionally, the Seveso River’s pre-alarm state in Milan remains persistent, measuring 115 cm (3.7 feet) although no emergency calls have been made in this context yet.
The severe weather led to several road closures and impacted railway services. Specifically, Trenorth lines experienced significant slowdowns due to the tornadoes and subsequent weather conditions.
Tornadoes are not a rare phenomenon in northern Italy at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.
References:
1 3 Tornado in Northern Italy, 22 September – Tornado in Italia (meteotornado.it) – September 23, 2023
2 Fear and damage due to the passage of two tornadoes – Italy24 – September 24, 2023
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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