Severe supercell storms struck the Isarco Valley in Alto Adige on Monday evening, dumping torrential rain and ice that left streets buried under thick layers of debris and devastated regional agriculture. Hailstones reached up to five centimeters in diameter, inundating cellars and garages while triggering emergency measures for local vineyards.
The violent weather front swept across on Monday evening, bringing intense downpours and severe accumulations of ice. Local emergency services, including volunteer firefighters from Varna, Bressanone, and surrounding municipalities, worked for hours responding to flooded basements, submerged garages, and blocked roadways. In certain low-lying pockets, combined water and ice reached depths of roughly 70 centimeters, creating hazardous conditions that required immediate intervention.
The community of Varna, also known as Vahrn, bore the brunt of the storm’s impact alongside neighboring Bressanone. Residents and local authorities watched as Monday’s storm blanketed streets in multi-centimeter layers of ice, transforming familiar landscapes into winter-like scenes in the early autumn. Varna Mayor Andreas Schatzer described the intensity of the event plainly, stating that nothing of this scale had been witnessed in the area previously.
Beyond urban flooding, the storm dealt a severe blow to regional agriculture. The heavy hail battered fruit crops, leaving local vineyards facing important yield losses.
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