Hailstorm damages Novara province, hampers Valsessera forest fire in Italy

On Friday, 7 August, a severe summer thunderstorm struck the low Valsesia area and the Novara province in north‑west Italy. The storm produced intense rain, wind gusts up to 80 km/h and large hailstones up to five centimetres in diameter. The hail and wind ripped roofs off buildings, toppled a restaurant roof in Fara Novarese, flooded the clinic “I Cedri”, knocked down trees and damaged vehicles, crops and vineyards across the region, and blocked the state road 299.

The same system passed close to the Valsessera forest fire that has been burning for several days, but only delivered a few drops of rain to the fire‑affected zone, limiting any immediate benefit to firefighting efforts.