9676 Is everyone OK?

No, - but I'm driving down from the UK to northern Piemonte on Friday/Saturday next week, so any news on what things are like in the area would be greatly appreciated.

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well check the [url=http://www.inforegioni.rai.it/]TG regionali e Meteo a cura delle testate regionali del TG3[/url] tg regionale ...the frejus is closed right now.... so scary, I can't believe the news...

Paola

We live just across the border of Piemonte, in Lombardia and here, we are not experiencing the terrible storms that the north eastern parts of Piemonte and the Val D'Aosta are experiencing. However, the river Po is overflowing it's banks further upstream of here and we must just wait to hear/see what happens next. [URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL3050330520080530?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews"]Reuters is reporting the situation[/URL] resonably well, as well as Rai and the rest of the Italian press, for those of you with little or no Italian.

It hardly needs saying that if you are intending to travel through the affected areas, don't. The situation, weatherwise, is expected to ease in the next 24 hours, so all we can do is wait and see.

So far, no more than rain in the Imperia end of Liguria. None of the threatened thunder storms have yet materialised.

During my visit to my neighbour yesterday the heavens opened here (Abruzzo), in fact so much that I had to stay on there. The clay and gravel drive to my home became a stream. It seemed like a hell of a lot of water to me and as we stared out of the window at the rain I casually asked if this was unusual weather for this time of year. "No, last years drought and high temperatures were unusual but this, not so"...We returned to our coffee. Suddenly a scream came from the kitchen and we ran to see what we could do to help, Mamma was energetically pushing water out through the door with her broom, we all joined in. The water was coming up through the sink like a fountain. One hour later it suddenly stopped and we were left with a very wet kitchen and tired and amazed people. "This, my neighbour said, has never ever happened before"...
Bunch

I am travelling to Picinisco (near Cassino) tomorrow afternoon. My husband has been there since 30th March. He told me that he has never seen rain like he has experienced for the past couple of months. And thunder storms bigger than some of those he saw in the Far East when he lived there. The days without rain have been few (these last 10 days have had the sunniest). When it hasn't rained it has been dull and cloudy. And sometimes chilly in the evening. Friends and neighbours say this is really unusual weather and not normal. Also some saying this has been the wettest April and May on record.

I will be in Italy for two weeks and the 5 day weather forecast has rain, thunders and between 60% and 80% chance of rain for the first three days!!!

PLEASE tell me that this is freaky weather. One of the reasons I am moving to Italy is for the good weather.
maralyn

I live in the Bassa Valtellina just east of the top of Lake Como. The weather here has been atrocious for weeks - rain, rain and then more rain. As in the Val D'Aosta, when it rains then above a certain height it falls as snow and just adds to the snow melt which is expected. The torrents coming off the mountains from the melt become raging waters often carrying huge boulders down with them. The underlying melt also erodes the strength of the tree roots which do stabilise the forests and then whole chunks of terrain just slides as has been seen recently in Piemonte and the Val D'Aosta.

Here in the Valtellina we have two rivers entering Lake Como at the top - the Mera and the Adda. The Adda is dangerously high both above the lake and lower down in Lombardia. Near Trezzo D'Adda they have had to divert traffic due to the danger that the banks may give way! Here in the north of the lake it would be no surprise if that happened - landslides are (almost) expected up here... This is one which happened in the Val Sassina in 2002 - the buildings you can see are large apartments and a huge factory: [URL="http://www.centrometeolombardo.com/vecchiosito/foto/Alluvioni/valsassina%202002/frana2.jpg"][B]>Frana at Cortenova - Val Sassina<[/B][/URL]
After all the recent and forecast rain, it will be no surprise if there are more of these up here and elsewhere in Lombardy!.

Arrived at our house in Lazio 10 days ago after four days of downpour as we were informed by our neighbours. Nothing in the house but lots of landslips on our road and in the locality in general causing some villages to be isolated. A river broke its banks at Colleferro. Our road has temporarily (we hope) become one way in the wrong direction which is not so different to normal as lots of locals drive down in the wrong direction including the local carabinieri!

[quote=Maralyn;90611]PLEASE tell me that this is freaky weather. One of the reasons I am moving to Italy is for the good weather.
maralyn[/quote]
Depends what region you will be staying in.

If you don't need to work, then i can tell you, that here in the South, it's been 36°c this last week, without any rain for the last 2 weeks.

Unless i had looked on here, i'd of been none the wiser about the bad weather up North...

I suppose it does depend on what region you are in Italy but we are not in the north. We are near Cassino, 1.5 hours south of Rome and the same north of Naples.

Ron has told me this past week it has been very, very hot and sunny all day but the 5 day weather forecast from the beginning of this next week indicates rain and cloud through to Friday. When will it all end?
maralyn

[quote=Italiargh;90644]Depends what region you will be staying in.

If you don't need to work, then i can tell you, that here in the South, it's been 36°c this last week, without any rain for the last 2 weeks.

Unless i had looked on here, i'd of been none the wiser about the bad weather up North...[/quote]Is it only 2 weeks since we had rain. Over here in Puglia it seems longer. It's been hot here too though.

Moved to : Italiauncovered.co.uk

wow Nardini you look rough today - was it a heavy night last night? A cucumber face pack may help with those bags under your eyes :-)

we've just had outside tiling and a french drain installed at our villino in the colli albani near Rome (thanks to posts on this forum we were able to understand exactly what our analphabet builder was explaining we needed to spend money on) His biggest concern was water and the way it would run off the land. In the years we've had the house we've seen very heavy rain wash the soil onto roads and block them but he (at 60) remembers the whole hillside sliding many years ago and just wants to prevent it happening again. Thankfully all our neighbours take the same precautions.

I'm in the Valle d'Aoste and it seems to have calmed down now, although it's been drizzling again this morning. It tends to be the lower valley that gets it worse as all the side streams come in off the mountains. I cycled over the river yesterday on the way to get some milk from the farm and noticed some quite large logs lying around on the gravel beds. The roads are fine though Alan (at the moment given no more rain) but check the following site (top RH corner) for more details before you leave: [url=http://www.regione.vda.it/default_i.asp]Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - Sito ufficiale[/url]

Touching wood and metal like mad here but so far so good despite the regular afternoon thunderstorms. Honestly, it's like being in the tropics (no it's not, it's infinitely nicer). I can tell the time by the claps of thunder, every afternoon between 3 & 4 and well in to the night last night. Must be miserable as heck for people on a brief, much looked forward to holiday. Still, I guess it's not cold, that's one thing.

[quote=Violetta;90832]Touching wood and metal like mad here but so far so good despite the regular afternoon thunderstorms. Honestly, it's like being in the tropics (no it's not, it's infinitely nicer). I can tell the time by the claps of thunder, every afternoon between 3 & 4 and well in to the night last night. Must be miserable as heck for people on a brief, much looked forward to holiday. Still, I guess it's not cold, that's one thing.[/quote]

No-one has mentioned Le Marche. Can I assume all is well there, sun shining, balmy breezes, free vino....?

Annie.

Marche has had a few thunderstorms, but not that bad as the north. Yesterday lots of thunder in the afternoon, but very little rain here. Today, cloudy thismorning and a shower after lunch, but at the moment just overcast.

[quote=Geotherm;90868]Marche has had a few thunderstorms, but not that bad as the north. Yesterday lots of thunder in the afternoon, but very little rain here. Today, cloudy thismorning and a shower after lunch, but at the moment just overcast.[/quote]

What temperatures are you having? Here I am not alone in having to put the central heating on at times. When the sun shines, it is hot.....WHEN it shines. Are people wearing summer clothes?
Annie.

[quote=Anniet2;90877]What temperatures are you having? Here I am not alone in having to put the central heating on at times. When the sun shines, it is hot.....WHEN it shines. Are people wearing summer clothes?
Annie.[/quote]
Where we are temps are around 20C at 9 - 10 in the morning. House temp is 21+ in the morning and the geothermal system is only running for about 2 hours each day, mainly for hot water.
I've been running around in a t-shirt most of the last week:yes:

READ TEXT FIRST - IT REALLY PUTS LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE

Not often I send these types of things out but with the earthquake last

night it really makes you think.
With all the news on TV lately about the hurricanes that America is
experiencing, the typhoons in China, flooding in Switzerland and recent
mud slides in South America, we shouldn't forget that the UK has its
share of devastating natural disasters too.
Attached is a photo illustrating the damage caused to my home from the
earthquake that occurred last night.
It really makes you cherish what you have, and reminds us not to take
things for granted.

Do take care of yourself and be safe.

29c so the locals are still wearing there furs!

[quote=Geotherm;90879]Where we are temps are around 20C at 9 - 10 in the morning. House temp is 21+ in the morning and the geothermal system is only running for about 2 hours each day, mainly for hot water.
I've been running around in a t-shirt most of the last week:yes:[/quote]

We're flying Ryanair, carry-on only, that's why I need to know. It seems to be warm anyway so I can leave my furs behind!
Thank you.

Annie.

Well, maybe we were anticipating good weather in Sicily in April, but my wife giggled at the fur coat in the wardrobe (after having packed the swimsuit). How wrong can one be!

But bringing the weather (for Aretina and Violetta, plus perhaps our Puglian friends) up to date - here's a scare story!

[url=http://ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/topnews/news/2008-06-03_103220194.html]ANSA.it - TopNews - Arriva maltempo al Centro e al Sud[/url]

It's funny reading the article because I was thinking just the other afternoon how I wouldn't like to be nipping back and forth to Rome regularly these days on the autostrada as I sometimes have to. You know, we were on that road once driving up through Umbria when the rain came down so heavily, we couldn't see beyond the end of the hood. Wipers couldn't keep up with it, we couldn't even see to pull over on to the hardshoulder. Both agree it was the scariest few minutes ever driving.
Summer clothes? No way. It isn't really cold but it's damp. I have put my fur coat away but never set foot outside without my Barbour. And can understand why some people may want the heating on if only for part of the day. I watched TV the other evening under a blanket!

[quote=Violetta;91043]You know, we were on that road once driving up through Umbria when the rain came down so heavily, we couldn't see beyond the end of the hood. Wipers couldn't keep up with it, we couldn't even see to pull over on to the hardshoulder.[/quote]
But I bet you [I]could[/I] see through your side windowns other drivers overtaking you at 120kph. :rollingeyes:

Continuing the weather report theme, here in northern Abruzzo at 500m slm on the eastern slopes of the Gran Sasso, over the last couple weeks night temperatures have been in the mid to high 'teens and daytime peaks have been in the mid twenties. Comfortable, but it has also been quite humid. Most mornings have been clear or with broken cloud, but there has often been a thunderstorm in the early afternoon. Unplugging all the electronic stuff has become a tedious daily routine.

In the shops yesterday, no furs on display, but did notice a lot of locals wearing shorts and tee-shirts. Saw not a single quilted coat, so I guess that - regardless of what the thermometer may say - Summer has officially arrived.

We drove down to the coast and then north to Macerata yesterday and it was interesting seeing how much water there was in the rivers. Totally different to how it was last year.

Al

The Ticino river can be in full flow and cause a lot of damage, and yet this is what it was like only last year...

[URL="http://www.daylife.com/photo/03mObSd7sy9Kj"]>TICINO - 2007