The Met Office has issued a warning to British tourists as Storm Hans batters Europe over the Easter break.
It comes after Italy was hit by flash floods and a 7ft snow dump in France sparked avalanche fears.
The extreme weather is set to sweep over parts of Spain, Switzerland, France and across large parts of Italy, according to the forecaster.
The Met Office wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘Storm Hans, named by the Italian Met Service, will bring strong winds and rough seas to parts of the Mediterranean this week.
‘Heavy rain is also a concern, particularly in northern Italy, where over 200mm may fall by Thursday, giving a risk of flash flooding and landslides.’
The storm is expected to cause widespread disruption and bring the risk of ‘critical situations’, say Italian weather agency METEO.
‘A new disturbance is advancing towards Italy: it will bring a lot of rain, with the risk of critical situations,’ the agency writes.
The met office has issued a warning to British tourists as Storm Hans batters Europe over the Easter break. Pictured: Flooding in Turin, Italy
It comes after Italy was hit by flash floods and a 7ft snow dump in France sparked avalanche fears. Pictured: Flooding in Piedmont, Italy
Pictured: Heavy floods due to torrential rainfall in Rubiana of Turin, Italy
The Met Office wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter : ‘Storm Hans, named by the Italian Met Service, will bring strong winds and rough seas to parts of the Mediterranean this week. ‘Heavy rain is also a concern, particularly in northern Italy, where over 200mm may fall by Thursday, giving a risk of flash flooding and landslides.’ Pictured: An avalanche in Italy
The extreme weather is set to sweep over parts of Spain, Switzerland, France and across large parts of Italy, according to the forecaster. Pictured: Piedmont, Italy
Pictured: iremen remove the rests of a tree that broke under the weight of the snow in the city of Sierre as severe weather hits Swiss Alps
The forecaster further indicates that all of Italy will be affected by ‘very rough or choppy seas’ but in particular, the northern regions and those of the Tyrrhenian side, on Italy’s west coast.
The northwest region of Piedmont was put on red alert today after towns were severely flooded and a bridge in the Biella area collapsed due to heavy rains.
Dramatic video footage shows fast-flowing water streaming through the streets of Turin and leaving the town completely underwater.
Meanwhile, almost half of the Aosta Valley municipalities has been left without electricity due to trees falling on power lines.
Orange weather alerts for avalanches, heavy rain and flash flooding are in place along the south-east and Alpine areas of France today.
Warnings for strong wind, coastal waves, river flooding, and icy/snow roads are also active at a lower-tier two yellow level across south-east and east.
In the Savoyard resort of Tignes, nearly a meter of snow has already been recorded this Thursday morning. According to the tourist office, ‘this is the heaviest snowfall of the season.’
Dramatic video footage shows fast-flowing water streaming through the streets of Turin and leaving the town completely underwater
The northwest region of Piedmont was put on red alert today after towns were severely flooded and a bridge in the Biella area collapsed due to heavy rains
The storm is expected to cause widespread disruption and bring the risk of ‘critical situations’, say Italian weather agency METEO. Pictured: Piedmont
In the Savoyard resort of Tignes (pictured), nearly a meter of snow has already been recorded this Thursday morning
According to the tourist office, ‘this is the heaviest snowfall of the season’. Pictured: Tignes
In a press release this Thursday morning, Government office the Savoie prefecture also indicated that 4,000 homes are without electricity and that several disruptions on the road network are expected.
And, in Val Thorens more than 90 cm of snow has covered the resort’s streets and residents have been asked to stay indoors until further notice.
Val-d’Isère also experienced heavy snowfall, with residents sharing images of winter wonderland-like scenes.
According to Météo-France ‘s forecasts this Thursday, the rain-snow limit will be ‘around 800 to 1,100 meters in the Jura and the Alpine valleys, or even locally 500 to 700 meters this morning, 1,200 meters in the Southern Alps, and 2,000 to 2,200 meters in the border Alps.’
The forecaster said by the end of the day there could be 1.5 meters or even two meters of fresh snow in the high mountains of the Alps, above 2,500 meters above sea level.
Meanwhile, holidaymakers in Spain have been told to batten down the hatches and brace for ‘heavy rainfall and thunderstorms’.
Switzerland has also warned of an ‘extreme rise in the water level of rivers and lakes’, a ‘high likelihood of landslides on sloping terrain’ and flooding in large parts of some areas.
