In 2023 , extreme weather events in Italy rose to 378 , an increase of 22% compared to 2022, with billions in damage and the death of 31 people . This was revealed by Legambiente's City Climate Observatory.
Northern Italy, with 210 extreme events, was the most affected area, followed by the Center (98) and the South (70). Floods and river overflows are increasing (+170% compared to 2022), record temperatures in urban areas (+150%), landslides from intense rain (+64%), storm surges (+44%), damage from hailstorms (+34.5%), and flooding (+12.4%) . The freezing point has reached 5,328 meters in the Alps, with the glaciers retreating.
In the Peninsula there were 118 cases of flooding from intense rain, 82 cases of damage from tornadoes and gusts of wind, 39 of damage from hailstorms, 35 river floods that caused damage, 26 damage from storm surges, 21 damage from drought prolonged, 20 cases of extreme temperatures in the city, 18 cases of landslides caused by intense rain, 16 events with damage to infrastructure and 3 events with impacts on historical heritage.
Among the most affected cities: Rome, Milan, Fiumicino, Palermo and Prato . At a regional level, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna are the most suffering regions in 2023 with, respectively, 62 and 59 events that caused damage, followed by Tuscany with 44, and by Lazio (30), Piedmont (27), Veneto ( 24) and Sicily (21). It should be underlined that in the month of July alone, Lombardy was hit by 28 events, resulting in two victims.
Among the most affected provinces, Rome stands out in first place with 25 extreme weather events , followed by Ravenna with 19, Milan with 17, Varese 12, Bologna and Turin 10.
«Such events - declares Stefano Ciafani, national president of Legambiente - are increasing with ever greater frequency and intensity, and it is the territories and citizens who are paying the price. The Meloni Government must immediately approve the National Climate Adaptation Plan , also allocating the related economic resources, which we continue to spend to intervene after disasters, as demonstrated by the 11 billion euros alone for the damage of the two floods in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany".
