MILAN: A number of highways were temporarily closed following a strong hailstorm in various parts of northern Italy earlier this week. Hundreds of vehicles were also damaged.
The hailstones that hit in these areas were bigger than normal. According to eyewitnesses, they were about the size of a tennis ball.
Images and videos of hailstorms that caused chaos and panic among citizens were widely shared on social media.
Millions of people viewed the hailstorm on various parts of the road between Milan and Naples on social media.
Meteorologist Luca Lombroso said that while hailstorms are usual in the region during the summer, their intensity was significantly greater this time.
Coldiretti, an agricultural organization, said such incidents are now a result of climate change. They also said that the rate of hail fall and its size have increased. So far this year, the hail fall rate is 386, compared to 92 in 2018 and 198 in 2019.
According to Coldiretti, climate change has caused a loss of €14 billion over the past ten years. Officials said the floods and landslides had caused damage to agriculture, buildings and other infrastructure.
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