The northern metropolis of Milan was hit by torrential rains and a "river" of hailstones, according to one Italian media outlet, which flooded streets and tore down trees on Tuesday morning. Widespread electrical outages have been reported, and at least two deaths are attributed to the wild weather.
"I have never seen anything like this," Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said. "We can't deny it any longer - climate change is changing our lives. We can't pretend it's not happening and we absolutely can't keep doing nothing."
Firefights in the Lombardy region reported more than 200 calls in the aftermath of the storm.
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 passenger aircraft was struck by the hailstorm during takeoff from MIlan’s Malpensa International Airport, causing damage to its nose and on the fuselage near the wings and a redirection towards Rome instead of continuing on to New York City. Delta didn’t say how many were on board or how the passengers would be compensated.
Days earlier, another catastrophic hailstorm wracked the Lombardy region, bringing large hailstones and tornadoes.
At least nine air support incidents had been filed, along with nine in Calabria, the closest mainland province, and one on the island of Sardinia.
According to local media, more than 200 people in Palermo have sought medical attention for smoke inhalation, causing two hospitals to suspend routine appointments in order to prioritize treatment for smoke inhalation or heat stroke.
The fires have been fanned by extreme high temperatures baking Italy in recent weeks, which showed no signs of letting up on Tuesday. Officials had placed 16 cities on red alert due to high temperatures, which in eastern Sicily reached 117.7 degrees Fahrenheit (47.6 Celsius) on Monday - close to the all-time European high of 119.8 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 Celsius) set on the island two years ago.
"We are experiencing in Italy one of the most complicated days in recent decades - rainstorms, tornadoes and giant hail in the north, and scorching heat and devastating fires in the center and south," Italy’s Civil Protection Minister, Nello Musumeci, said in a statement. "The climate upheaval that has hit our country demands of us all a change of attitude."
Several Italian regions have asked Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government to declare a state of emergency.
"We knew that today would be the hardest day," Meloni said on Italian radio on Tuesday morning. "We have a situation where very high temperatures are combined with wind, which makes using Canadair [firefighting aircraft] impossible."
"We are following the situation, which is very delicate, minute by minute."
In May, parts of central Italy also suffered catastrophic flooding amid days of torrential rain, causing extensive damage and killing at least 11 people in the mountainous Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions.