Parts of Italy and Switzerland at risk due to extreme weather

Northern Italy and parts of Switzerland are at risk due to extreme weather. In some parts of Switzerland approximately two meters of snowfall are expected. The country is at risk for floodings and landslides. In nothern Italy persistent rainfall is triggering significant hydrogeological risks, with Piedmont, Aosta Valley, and parts of Emilia Romagna among the hardest-hit regions.

Authorities in Switzerland and Italy have issued high-level weather alerts, closed roads, and launched emergency responses as rivers swell and landslides increase. In Switzerland Zermatt is cut off. There are power outages in the Bernese Oberland and schools in Valais remain closed.

Flood and landslide risks

According to calculations by the Mobiliar Lab for Natural Risks at the University of Bern, in Switzerland alone, there are approximately 300,000 buildings located in flood-prone areas. More than 1.3 million people live there. According to a report by the Federal Office for the Environment, this results in a potential damage of well over CHF 800 billion (€ 860 billion). Swiss citizens can access maps of flood and landslide risks by entering their address.

Red alert in Piedmont in Italy

In Piedmont, severe weather continues to impact over 100 municipalities. The railway company Trenitalia has suspended all rail services to Santhià and Novara. Several roads have been closed in the province of Biella, including routes in Mongrando, Netro, and Tollegno, as well as the Pray-Brusnengo link and Provincial Road 419 of Serra .

Civil protection

In the provinces of Turin, Biella, and Verbania-Cusio-Ossola Italy fire brigades have responded since midnight to more than 300 calls for assistance. In Rubiana, floodwaters have turned streets into rivers, causing further concern among residents and authorities. The Civil Protection Agency in Turin has pre-emptively closed the Murazzi area along the Po River, although no major damage has been reported in the city itself.

Extreme, heavy rainfall

According to ARPA, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, ‘widely disturbed weather conditions with moderate or heavy rainfall, locally very heavy’ are affecting the upper parts of Turin, Biella, Vercelli, and Verbano areas. Rainfall totals include 155 mm in Pian Audi (Turin), 117 mm in Boccioleto (Vercelli), and 116 mm in Camparient (Biella).

River levels are being closely monitored. The Toce in Verbano has exceeded its warning level. Lake Maggiore and the Po River near Turin are rising but remain below danger levels. However, further downstream, the Po has surpassed the warning threshold in San Sebastiano (Turin) and Crescentino (Vercelli). Other rivers, including the Erro and Belbo in southern Piedmont, and the Bormida across the Ligurian border, have also breached warning thresholds.

Landslides and evacuations in the Aosta valley

According to the Regional Functional Centre in the Aosta Valley, 23 landslides were reported in 24 hours. Some homes were evacuated in Issogne and Fontainemore, and additional interventions were carried out in Issime, La Salle, Gressoney-La-Trinité, Donnas, Pont-Saint-Martin and Aosta. Avalanche activity has also been reported, with snow slides reaching the valley floor in Rhemes, Pré-Saint-Didier, Oyace, Bionaz, and Valsavarenche. An orange alert remains in effect throughout the region until midnight.

Floodings in Emilia Romagna

In Emilia Romagna, heavy rainfall has led to flooding in Valnure, especially in Ponte dell’Olio, where water has entered homes and streets. Smaller streams have overflowed, and landslides and fallen trees have disrupted roads in the Arda, Nure, and Trebbia Valleys. River levels in the Piacenza and Parma areas have reached orange and red alert thresholds. The Luretta River, in particular, has reached its red warning level.

Lack of cross-border information

The weather events are affecting regions and causing floods in Switzerland and Italy, but there is a lack of cross-border information. Citizens, living along the border, could benefit from transboundary water management and weather warnings. Due to climate change, projects for transboundary water management, like JCAR-ATRACE, will become increasingly important to safeguard civilians in these areas.