Italy Issues Severe Weather Red Alert for Nine Northern Regions

On Monday, Northern Italy was being battered by heavy rain and winds, with at least nine regions on red alert for severe weather.

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The Italian Civil Protection Department has issued a red alert -- the highest risk level in country's three-tier system - for southern parts of Emilia-Romagna. This region was heavily affected by flooding triggered by exceptional rainfall in May last year.

The red alert for Emilia-Romagna was issued late in the evening of Oct. 29 for the following day, based on "events unfolding and expected," the department said.

Orange alerts (medium risk) have been issued for some other northern regions, including Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and most of Lombardy, Liguria, and Tuscany.

Meanwhile, the remaining areas of northern Italy are on yellow alert, including the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, south-eastern Piedmont, and parts of Lombardy, plus central Tuscany and western Umbria.

Apparently due to heavy rainfall and strong winds, a bridge collapsed on Monday near the city of Parma in Emilia-Romagna. However, no casualties have so far been reported.

In Parma, emergency services are closely monitoring the Baganza river due to the risk of flooding. In the coastal Ligurian regions, several areas have already been affected by floods, while schools in several cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany have been closed as a precautionary measure.