The A14 Bologna-Taranto motorway was closed for hours in the Abruzzo section between West Pescara and Lanciano due to a high voltage cable knocked down on the roadway by an extraordinary snowfall. The motorway section was reopened at 9,30. But the snowfalls have also created problems for other roads: closures to traffic have been recorded in Sicily while a section of the E45 has been closed between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.
The heavy snowfalls are affecting various areas of the Centro-South, in particular the earthquake-hit areas of the Marche where more than 50 centimeters of snow have fallen. Heavy situation especially in Abruzzo with blizzards and rain. Even today many schools have remained closed and are the users without electricity rose to 159 thousand. "Well over 300 people are without electricity, that is more than a quarter of the regional population", says the undersecretary to the presidency of the Abruzzo Region with responsibility for Civil Protection, Mario Mazzocca. Of these, around 80 are disconnected due to problems with the grid managed by Enel, just as many due to problems with Terna's high voltage grid. In the dark, a good part of Teramo city. In the late morning, Enel will communicate a work plan to the local institutions. The Minister of Defence, Roberta Pinotti, "has just informed me that the Chief of Staff of the Army has given instructions to bring the means and men needed for the operations deemed necessary from Foggia, following a punctual technical investigation by the Prefects competent” states the president of the Region, Luciano D'Alfonso.
In the North, the strong wind is the protagonist with the bora that a Trieste it blows at around 80 km/h with gusts reaching 141 km/h. Broken branches, unsafe antennas, ledges that damaged parked vehicles as they fell, an electric cable broke in front of the covered market, bins dangerously moved in the middle of the road. Since yesterday evening, activity at Molo VII of the port has also stopped, the municipality has also ordered the closure of the public gardens. As for the temperatures: Trieste 2 degrees, around 3 degrees instead in Pordenone, Udine and Gorizia; on the reliefs: -5 at Forni di Sopra, -6 at Tarvisio, -6,5 at Piancavallo, -12 at Zoncolan and -14 at Lussari. The forecasts still speak of changeable-cloudy skies, while the bora in Trieste will continue to blow impetuously from the north east.
In Puglia a 67-year-old man, Cataldo Monaco, died of the cold after falling asleep on the street in Ceglie Messapica, in the Brindisi area. The man was found frozen in via Santoro Urgesi, near the historic center, where he lived alone. Some passers-by raised the alarm. Monaco, who was without documents, was taken by ambulance to the Francavilla Fontana hospital, where he died shortly after.
Difficult situation even in Sardinia with frost and storm surges. Many schools on the island also remained closed. Schools closed for precautionary reasons in many centers in various municipalities in Alta Gallura and throughout the city of Nuoro. Many interventions also in isolated areas of the interior where interventions are made to help farmers to save animals blocked by snow and to clear the roads. In Olbia and Santa Teresa the ships remained in port. Since yesterday the Santa Teresa-Bonifacio connections have been blocked due to gusts of the north wind blowing at over 100 kilometers per hour. While the gusts at 70 km in the port of the White Island of Olbia have kept the Tirrenia Athara passenger ship at anchor since this morning, with 138 passengers and 52 cars on board, which departed yesterday evening from Genoa.
In Calabria violent and copious hailstorms, downpours and cold temperatures. Due to the strong Grecale wind, the connections with the island of Elba and with Capraia were canceled. The civil protection of Emilia-Romagna has activated the phase of attention for 'coastal event' (rising of sea level with possible flooding) for the municipalities of the coast valid until midnight today: San Mauro Pascoli (Fc), Cesenatico ( Fc), Gatteo (Fc), Savignano sul Rubicone (Fc), Cattolica (Rn), Riccione (Rn), Rimini (Rn), Bellaria-Igea Marina (Rn), Misano Adriatico (Rn), Cervia (Ra), Ravenna (Ra), Comacchio (Fe), Codigoro (Fe), Goro (Fe).
In Sicilia, the state road 116 Randazzo Capo d'Orlando is closed from km 22 to km 24 , between Floresta and Ucria (ME). On the 117 Centrale Sicula state road, from km 17 to km 45, between Mistretta (Me) and Nicosia (En), traffic is permitted only with mounted chains. Along the stretches of roads at risk of snow or ice, salt spreaders and snowploughs are in action.
Anas, in particular, is operating in Abruzzo, Umbria, Marche, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany to ensure transitability. In Emilia Romagna and Tuscany the state road 3bis “Tiberina” (E45) from Cesena Nord to Pieve Santo Stefano is closed due to snow. In the Marches, the state road 4 Salaria from the border with Lazio to Mozzano (Ascoli Piceno) is closed to traffic, again due to heavy snowfalls and some vehicles crossed over. Traffic slowed down on the former state road 3 Flaminia from Cagli to the border with Umbria. It snows on all the other state roads in the Marche region, with the exception of the SS16 Adriatica.
On the other hand, it is the fire that determines the continued closure of the section between for safety reasons GenoVa Nervi and Recco of the A12. The viability in both directions is interrupted due to the dense smoke that has been released since yesterday in a big fire that has kept firefighters and volunteers busy all night. According to what has been learned, the situation of the fire is under control, there is only one outbreak on Monte Fasce which is being dealt with by the firefighters in these hours. But the stretch of highway remains impassable.
