Our daily life is now marked by the tantrums of the African anticlone on duty or by the disturbance arriving from the North East which we never know where it will crash. It’s the creativity of the weather. Today, more than ever, meteorologists are the compass that cannot be done without. Roberto Nanni, technician of Ampro, the Association of professional weather forecasters who also collaborates with the Air Force, releases a forecast bulletin almost every day.
Should we expect a drought-ridden summer?
“We had a May that fluctuated between rain and sun. I see a hot summer for the North but not a record-breaking and disastrous one like last year. Northern Italy benefited from heavy rains from the end of February to May with late snowfalls, especially in the Alpine arc”.
What do we do with Southern Italy, which is already hot these days?
“A very difficult situation is expected, especially for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria. Coldiretti itself has launched a worrying alarm. Other regions such as Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, have acquired a fair amount of water reserves with the rains of the last two months Which didn’t happen in the South.”
Is the Po river healthy?
“It currently has a good water flow and for now we don’t notice any critical situations. This also applies to the river basins that concern it.”
Will agriculture suffer?
“I fear that there will be serious problems in the Center and in the South where water supplies are scarce. The drought risks damaging fruit trees, vineyards and olive groves. In the North the damage has already been caused by storms, hail and wind storms” .
Will house taps have problems?
“In general, I don’t think so. The aquifers, again excluding the South, have recharged. But water must be used with common sense, the risks are not over.”
ISPRA claims that 17% of Italy is at risk of desertification.
“It is real data developed on a scientific basis. In certain areas the land is so stressed and burned that it is unable to recover to become productive again.”
The Marmolada is covered in snow at this time, last year it was semi-uncovered.
“It is a good signal, to be interpreted, given the spring snowfalls, as a climatic whiplash. But the issue of the melting of glaciers must be observed over a period of decades. The heat waves are not over.”
What can be done to ensure water supplies?
“More basins and more reservoirs are needed. Far-sighted farmers with the means to do so have already equipped themselves, but a broader and more structural plan is needed. And above all, waste must be limited.”
Should we expect more extreme events?
“They are inevitable. Periods of drought alternating with surges of bad weather with intense rain and storms must now be taken into account in a structural way. And they will often hit limited areas. As happened in 2023 with the flood in Romagna”.
