17 April 2025 – Piedmont, Italy: Persistent rainfall has placed more than 100 municipalities in Piedmont under red alert due to high river levels and landslide risks. Trenitalia has suspended services to Santhià and Novara, replacing them with buses, as the region grapples with rising water and landslides.
The Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) warned of “widely disturbed weather conditions with moderate or heavy rainfall, locally very heavy” affecting Biella, Vercelli, Verbano and Turin provinces.
Since midnight, firefighters have received over 300 emergency calls. Most came from the provinces of Turin, Biella, and Verbania-Cusio-Ossola. In Rubiana, near Turin, floodwaters surged through streets, although no major damage has yet been reported in the city itself. Authorities in Turin have closed the Murazzi area along the Po River as a precaution.
Several provincial roads remain impassable, including routes in Mongrando, Netro, and Tollegno. Closures also affect the Pray-Brusnengo route and provincial road 419 of Serra.
Rainfall totals over 24 hours reached 155 mm in Pian Audi (Turin), 117 mm in Boccioleto (Vercelli), and 116 mm in Camparient (Biella).
Rivers across the region are being monitored closely. The Toce has exceeded warning thresholds in Verbano. The water levels are rising in Lake Maggiore, but it remains below warning levels at the moment.
The Po River remains below danger level near Turin but has risen above the warning threshold further downstream in San Sebastiano (Turin) and Crescentino (Vercelli).
Other rivers, including the Belbo and Erro in southern Piedmont, have also reached alert levels. The Bormida, which flows into Liguria, is under observation after similar readings.
As unstable weather continues, authorities remain on high alert. Emergency services and civil protection teams are ready to intervene should riverbanks overflow or landslides worsen.
