Thunderstorms, hail and strong winds set to sweep the country as cooler Atlantic air collides with weeks of extreme heat.Italy is bracing for violent thunderstorms, hail and strong winds as a cooler northern European air mass collides with the peninsula, ending a punishing two-week heatwave.After days of 'red alert' warnings for extreme heat in most Italian cities, only Catania and Reggio Calabria retain the "bollino rosso" on Thursday 2 July in the health ministry's daily bulletin. Storm warnings However civil protection authorities issued a maximum red alert for "hydrogeoligical risk" in part of the northern Veneto region, with a medium orange alert for storms in other areas of the Veneto region and in Emilia-Romagna. The civil protection department describes its hydrogeological risk as referring to "the effects caused on the territory by the exceeding of critical rainfall levels along the slopes, hydrometric levels of the watercourses of the minor hydrographic network, and rainwater disposal." A yellow weather alert for storms is in place Friuli Venezia Giulia, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio (including Rome), Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria. The alert level also applies to some areas of Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily and Sardinia. Heavy showers and thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and strong winds, are expected to sweep southward across much of the country on Thursday, with the overall affect leading to a drop in temperatures and a reduction in humidity. Brief respite from heat but risk of extreme weather Mattia Gussoni, a meteorologist at weather forecase website iLMeteo.it, said Thursday would bring a genuine respite from the heatwave, as the unstable front moves rapidly southward and instability spreads across central and southern Italy. He cautioned, however, that the collision between the cold air and the vast reserves of heat built up over previous weeks means the risk of extreme weather cannot be ruled out. The cooler, stormier interlude is not expected to last however. Forecasters say the unsettled front will clear towards the south-east from Friday 3 July, bringing sunnier skies back to the north, while an African anticyclone is poised to return over the weekend, driving temperatures back up across much of the country once again.

Italy is bracing for violent thunderstorms, hail and strong winds as a cooler northern European air mass collides with the peninsula, ending a punishing two-week heatwave. After days of 'red alert'  in most Italian cities, only Catania and Reggio Calabria retain the "bollino rosso" on Thursday 2 July in the . However civil protection authorities issued a maximum red alert for , with a medium orange alert for storms in other areas of the Veneto region and in Emilia-Romagna. The civil protection department describes its hydrogeological risk as referring to "the effects caused on the territory by the exceeding of critical rainfall levels along the slopes, hydrometric levels of the watercourses of the minor hydrographic network, and rainwater disposal." A yellow weather alert for storms is in place Friuli Venezia Giulia, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio (including Rome), Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria. The alert level also applies to some areas of Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily and Sardinia. Heavy showers and thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and strong winds, are expected to sweep southward across much of the country on Thursday, with the overall affect leading to a drop in temperatures and a reduction in humidity. Mattia Gussoni, a meteorologist at weather forecase website , said Thursday would bring a genuine respite from the heatwave, as the unstable front moves rapidly southward and instability spreads across central and southern Italy. He cautioned, however, that the collision between the cold air and the vast reserves of heat built up over previous weeks means the risk of extreme weather cannot be ruled out. The cooler, stormier interlude is not expected to last however. Forecasters say the unsettled front will clear towards the south-east from Friday 3 July, bringing sunnier skies back to the north, while an African anticyclone is poised to return over the weekend, driving temperatures back up across much of the country once again.