Swathes of southern and central Italy are on high alert on Monday after a wave of bad weather swept across the country, bringing hail and floods.

An area of low pressure moving south from northern Europe has brought an abrupt end to Italy’s Indian summer, with temperatures dropping by as much as 10 degrees.
The Civil Protection issued an orange alert – one below maximum – for the region of Calabria, where Naples and other towns ordered schools to stay closed.
Most of Molise and parts of Basilicata and Puglia are also on orange alert. Meanwhile a less severe yellow warning was issued for Abruzzo, Calabria, Sicily and Lazio.
TIn Rome, a long spell of hot weather broke dramatically on Sunday evening, when thunderstorms were followed by hail that turned streets white.
Several motorists found themselves stranded in high water or ice, while the runoff poured into underground stations and forced the closure of at least six Metro stops.

The storms reached Sicily on Sunday too, where the eastern province of Catania was hit by torrential rain for the second time in three days.

The bad weather also affected parts of northern Italy, including Milan, where strong winds toppled several trees, and Bologna, where the airport was experiencing delays due to difficult flying conditions.