Rome was struck by extreme weather conditions which spun off a small tornado at 5 pm yesterday afternoon, causing mayhem with rush hour traffic.Winds clocked at 90kmh, accompanied by heavy downpours, toppled more than 50 trees, killed one 21 year old, and caused an additional 5 injuries, one of whom remains in critical condition.
Meteorologists say the small tornado struck ground’ just a few miles east of the capital’s ring road, in Via di Lunghezzina.
The gale force winds kicked in at around 5 pm. Approximately 30 major roads had to be closed and bus routes and rail lines were temporarily stopped or re-routed away from the storm.
Due to the severity of the winds and rains, and the time of day, traffic jams wreaked havoc with workers trying to get in and out of the capitol.
Much of the damage, and ensuing mayhem was caused by the falling trees.
Storms of this severity are rare in Rome. The last one that was reported was in April 2009. While residents submitted photos and videos of the hail and purported tornado, the "tornado" was not confirmed by weather services.
