Rome and other central and southern parts of Italy hit by fierce thunderstorm
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Torrential rain hit Rome and other central and southern parts as a fierce thunderstorm unloaded onto the Italian capital after a weather front ended Italy’s long heatwave Tuesday.
Many parts of Rome were flooded, and several trees blown down by gale-force winds.
Streets and underpasses were turned into rivers and a fierce wind blew down Jubilee work fences as well as bar chairs and tables across the city.
Much of the water bomb exploded over the historic centre, and St Peter’s was not spared.
A thunderstorm and hail alert is in force in much of the north Wednesday.
A wave of bad weather from Greenland is then expected to last from Thursday 5 of September to Thursday 12, forecasters said Tuesday.
Ancient Roman Arch of Constantine damaged by lightning
The Arch of Constantine, a giant ancient Roman arch next to the Colosseum, was damaged after a violent storm hit Rome, conservation authorities said on Tuesday.
In a statement to Reuters, which first reported on the accident, the Colosseum Archaeological Park confirmed that the monument was hit by lightning.
The triumphal arch was built in the 4th century AD to celebrate the victory of Constantine – the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity – over his rival, Maxentius.
It is about 25 metres (82 feet) high and is located in the same pedestrian area where the Colosseum stands, a major tourist hotspot.
The Civil Protection agency said 60 millimetres (2.36 inches) of rain fell on central Rome in less than one hour, about as much as would normally fall in a month during autumn.
The freak weather was a so-called “downburst”, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said, referring to the kind of severe storm, featuring powerful downward winds, believed to have also caused last month’s sinking of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s yacht off Sicily.
“The event that hit Rome is truly unprecedented, because it was so powerful and concentrated in a very short time and in some areas of the city, starting from the historic center,” Gualtieri said in a statement.
