Severe Weather Hits Lombardy: Storms, Heavy Rain, and Flooding

As expected, a new and violent wave of bad weather has hit Lombardy, with intense storms starting from yesterday afternoon and evening. Today, Wednesday, May 15, and tomorrow, Thursday, May 16, could be the most critical days, with heavy rain, wind, and a significant drop in temperatures. This morning, Milan woke up under a real downpour. The streets were flooded by the heavy rain since the early hours of dawn, causing significant inconvenience. At 6:30 AM, the basin that protects against possible flooding of the Seveso river in the Niguarda, Pratocentenario, and Isola districts of Milan was activated, highlighting the severity of the situation. The basin was activated at 6:30 AM to protect against potential flooding of the Seveso river in the Niguarda, Pratocentenario, and Isola districts of Milan due to the intense rain that has been falling non-stop since last night on the Lombard capital. The river levels, explains the Councilor for Security and Civil Protection of the City of Milan, Marco Granelli, "have increased with the rains of last night." "Once again, this fundamental work has been activated and protects our city; the levels of the Lambro are also very high, at 2 meters and 50. Last night we evacuated the communities (there are some of solidarity, ed.) so as not to have problems," he continued. Councilor Granelli advises "maximum caution" as "the bad weather will continue throughout the morning." Emergency interventions are underway at the Pompeo Leoni overpass in the southern part of the city, where MM personnel, as well as the local police, are operating. The fire brigade has also intervened to secure two people trapped inside a car. The bad weather has had heavy repercussions on road traffic entering the Lombard capital. Slowdowns have been recorded on the main roads, with traffic in a standstill this morning on the ring road at the Cologno Monzese Est-Cernusco exit, with queues at times up to Lambrate-Segrate. The public transport system has also suffered considerable inconvenience. Many rains overnight on the Seveso and Lambro basins and on Milan. The Councilor for Security of the Municipality of Milan, Marco Granelli, explains in particular that "the Lambro has very high levels and has caused backflow in the Pontelambro district. We are sending MM, Civil Protection, and Local Police." At 6:30 "we activated the Milan basin against the flooding of the Seveso, to protect the districts of Niguarda Pratocentenaro and Isola. Already last night the communities had been evacuated. In the city, the underpasses are open, but we recommend the utmost caution. The bad weather will continue throughout the morning." Atm announces on its website that the emergency response service is working on the tram network to fix some flooded switches. A broken branch has also damaged the overhead network in via Bassini. The flooding of via Vittorini is also reported. The Lambro river has very high levels due to the persistent rain since last night, and this has caused a "backflow" of the watercourse with outflows in the Pontelambro district, on the outskirts of Milan. The Lambro has overflowed in some points from its banks, a controlled and monitored flooding. The Councilor for Security and Civil Protection of the Municipality of Milan, Marco Granelli, explained that teams from MM, Civil Protection, and Local Police have been sent to the site. There have been many interventions by the fire brigade in Milan and its province due to the bad weather, especially for the falling of trees and dangerous roofs. Some public transport lines in the Lombard capital have also been diverted. Intense traffic throughout the city. The Monza park has been closed due to the overflow of the Lambro in several sections. All accesses are closed except for viale Cavriga, which remains open only to vehicle traffic. This was announced by the Municipality of Monza. The civil protection is positioning the barriers provided by the Municipal Emergency Plan in the city center. In Milan, after the Lambro, the Seveso has also overflowed with flooding in the Niguarda districts, where viale Ca' Granda, Bicocca, and Isola are closed to traffic. Due to the flooding, several public transport lines have been diverted or limited, such as tram 7 which does not operate between via Fulvio Testi and piazzale Lagosta, and the 5 which does not pass between viale Lunigiana and the Ospedale Maggiore terminus. Local authorities recommend maximum caution over the next 48 hours. Citizens are invited to limit non-essential movements and to pay attention to weather updates. The Civil Protection is on alert to monitor the situation and ensure timely interventions if necessary.