Half of Italy under the snow. The wave of frost that is raging over the country has also brought flakes to the plains in the centre-north and south above 800 metres. And together with the snow, the inconveniences also rained down: schools closed, highways blocked, inconvenience for trains and Serie A matches at risk between tonight and tomorrow.
SCHOOLS – Inconveniences were reported above all in mountain areas, where schools remained closed in some Municipalities. The region most affected from this point of view is Liguria: schools of all levels (including universities) remained closed in Genoa, Sarzana, Beverino and Ameglia. Schools also closed until Saturday in Bologna, while in Turin the situation has been tamed and pupils will be able to return to class as early as tomorrow.
HIGHWAYS AND TRUCKS - The most intense snowfalls are of interest the following motorway sections: A1 Milano Napoli, in the stretch between Milan and Florence and further south between Arezzo and Orte; A14 Bologna Taranto, in the stretch between Bologna and Faenza as well as the entire branch for Ravenna; A13 Bologna Padova, in the stretch between Bologna and north Ferrara; A26 Genoa Gravellona Toce, in the section between Voltri and Ovada. Furthermore, it snows, but with less intensity on: A1 Milano Napoli, in the section between Florence and Arezzo; A11 Florence Pisa; A10 Genoa Savona; A12 Genoa Sestri Levante; A6 Turin Savona, in the section between Marene and Savona; A7 between Serravalle and Genoa, Predosa-Bettole branch; A14 Bologna Taranto in the stretch between Faenza and Cattolica Branch for Ravenna; A26 Genoa Gravellona Toce, in the section between Ovada and the junction with the A4.
Blockade of trucks in the Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria regions: the temporary suspension of the circulation on the motorway of vehicles with a total mass with full load exceeding 7,5 tons was triggered by prefectural ordinances.
TRAINS – Inconveniences also in rail transport: reduced some regional trains, with reported inconveniences between La Spezia and Genoa, and delays of even more than 70-80 minutes, while – the Fs have announced – the high-speed lines are operating regularly. Some criticisms on the Tyrrhenian route, especially in Tuscany and in eastern Liguria, in the station of La Spezia. About fifteen canceled trains and about fifty delayed on the Piedmont railway lines. The most difficult situation is on the lines in the province of Cuneo and, in particular, on the Turin-Savona line.
FOOTBALL GAMES - After the postponement of Parma-Juventus yesterday, two games tonight are also missing: Bologna-Fiorentina and Siena-Catania. Inter-Palermo is also at risk (even if the field is currently declared safe), the Novara-Chievo match for tomorrow night and next Sunday's Juventus-Siena and Milan-Naples matches, when temperatures below the -10 degrees.
FORECAST - According to the experts, the wave of frost will persist throughout the peninsula until mid-February: the perturbation of Siberian origin is now moving to the central-southern regions, and will bring possible snow also in Rome. But the situation will also remain critical in the North, where temperatures will continue to drop in the next few days, reaching -10/-15 degrees in the big cities (Turin, Milan, Genoa, Bologna, Florence) and -30 in the Alps. But the forecasts are even worse for next week: a depression will hit the Mediterranean, literally blocking Italy in the grip of snow and frost.
