Overview
- Regional authorities raised a red alert for Christmas Day across the Bologna plain, extending into Ferrara and Ravenna, after the Idice surpassed the top threshold and civil protection centers activated emergency measures.
- Western Alps are seeing and expecting extraordinary snowfall, with 100–120 cm in 24 hours reported around Artesina and Prato Nevoso and totals forecast to approach 2–2.5 meters by December 27 at higher elevations.
- Winds have intensified across the Northeast, with Bora gusts up to 109–120 km/h in Trieste, while Venice experienced acqua alta that flooded St. Mark’s Square without triggering MOSE barriers.
- Observed impacts include underpass flooding in Bologna and Modena, a precautionary bridge closure in Riccione, and Adriatic coast storm surge, as nationwide alerts remain in effect for heavy rain, strong gusts and mountain snow.
- Snow is forecast down to 600–700 meters in the North and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines—locally 400–600 meters in parts of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna—before a gradual improvement around December 26, with some models hinting at a late-month cold phase that remains uncertain.