A severe weather alert has been issued for northern and central Italy ahead of an Atlantic storm expected to eventually sweep over most of the peninsula.
Civil protection authorities said heavy rain and high winds should arrive over the northwest and Sardinia early Thursday morning and over the next 24-36 hours spread over the rest of the north and central Italy.
Aside from the high winds and heavy rain, experts said lightning and hail are likely. Authorities urged travellers to exercise extreme caution in storm areas.
