Freak Day After Tomorrow Storm Batters Milan, Is this the New Normal?

Parts of northern Italy were pummeled by giant hailstones larger than tennis balls last month , according to local officials while a small tornado tore rooftops off buildings in Milan, one town’s streets were overtaken by an icy river — just days after the country experienced a scorching heat wave that broke temperature records in Rome. Is this the new norm for Italy, Spain, and Greece brought about by climate change?

Videos shared on social media and local media showed large chunks of ice floating through the streets of Seregno, a town close to Milan, on Friday, while a mini tornado was seen in Milan. Firefighters in Milan said they had been responding to building damage and fallen trees in the aftermath of the storm, local media reported.

Earlier in the week, videos also showed loud lightning storms in Mantua in the Lombardy region of Italy, as giant hailstones beat the ground. Extreme winds and hailstorms also gripped Veneto, injuring about 110 people, according to the regional governor, Luca Zaia. “The hail that fell was absolutely out of the ordinary, with balls of ice that in some cases had diameters of over” four inches, he told local media Friday. Near-record heat temperatures have plagued much of central Europe this month, with the mercury hitting above 105 Fahrenheit in parts of Italy. Elsewhere popular tourist attractions such as the Acropolis in Greece have been closed due to sweltering weather, which experts say is a consequence of climate change.