Floods batter Italy after Florence sees a month’s rainfall in one day
Floods battered parts of Italy after nearly a month’s worth of rain fell over some regions on Friday, March 14, 2025, causing rivers to swell across the country. Red alerts were in effect across Italy, including Florence and Pisa, following an extreme flooding event that triggered multiple landslides and caused widespread damage.
Flooding in Tuscany on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Image credit: Vigil del Fuoco
Red alerts were in effect across Italy, including Florence and Pisa, following extreme flooding caused by heavy torrential rain on Friday, March 14.
The alerts were issued for parts of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna due to heavy and persistent rainfall expected to continue into Friday afternoon.
Schools remained closed in several cities, including Florence, where the local administration also shut down museums, cinemas, and theatres.
The president of Tuscany stated that local rescue and health services were on high alert and urged residents to exercise “the utmost attention and caution.”
Nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in Florence on Friday morning. Landslides and mudslides were reported in Bologna, where some residents were evacuated on Thursday evening, March 13 in anticipation of heavy overnight rainfall.
Local authorities and civil protection agencies raised the alert level for the Arno River, which flows through Florence and Pisa, as it was expected to peak later on Friday afternoon.
Regional governor Eugenio Giani stated that the most critical situation was in Sesto Fiorentino, a town a few kilometers from Florence, where the Rimaggio stream overflowed and flooded central streets.
No casualties have been reported so far, and city officials stated that the worst of the flooding had subsided by mid-morning on Friday.
A family of four was rescued from a landslide in Badia Prataglia, Tuscany, on Thursday evening, according to local media.
The national fire brigade reported receiving dozens of calls after the Rimaggio stream flooded and swept through the Sesto Fiorentino area on Florence’s northern outskirts.
The fire brigades reported 430 interventions in 24 hours to Friday, and over 500 personnel were engaging the floods in Florence, Prato, Pisa, and Livorno for rescue operations, floods, landslides, static failures, and the securing of dangerous trees
In Pisa, flood defenses were set up along the Arno River as local authorities warned that it had surpassed the first flood-risk level.
Roads were impacted by flooding and fallen trees, and residents in Florence were advised to avoid travel after the A1 motorway was partially closed.
Schools were closed in more than 60 municipalities in Tuscany, according to local media, along with several campuses of the University of Florence.
Florence has recorded more than double its average March rainfall of 61 mm (2.4 inches) over the past three days. More than 53 mm (2.1 inches) of rain fell within six hours on Friday morning, following an additional 36 mm (1.4 inches) overnight.
The northern Emilia-Romagna region also experienced heavy rainfall, affecting areas such as Forlì, Ravenna, Bologna, and Ferrara, where local rivers exceeded alert levels in the Apennine areas.
Local authorities in Bologna ordered the evacuation of ground-floor residences due to torrential rain and flooding risks on Thursday.
Further heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast to affect northern Italy into Saturday before, March 15 drier conditions set in.
A high-pressure system in the northeast Atlantic has recently blocked the usual path of low-pressure systems that typically move northwest of the UK, diverting them through the Mediterranean instead. Some rivers in Emilia-Romagna were already swollen due to previous downpours.
References:
1 Italy’s Florence and Pisa on alert as heavy rains bring floods to Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions – AP – March 14, 2025
2 Florence and Pisa on alert as flooding hits Italy – BBC – March 14, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
when rivers were used for cargo transport 100-150 years ago, the rivers were frequently dredged to maintain depth, this reduced river bank erosion and maintained depth for deep hulled barges ….it also prevented flooding for the most part as well. Since this activity has stopped almost completely across Europe, the rivers silt up and cannot cope with the load of flood water. So short is human memory and disastrous the effects of forgetting.