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Huge hailstones fell in Ticino.
MeteoSchweiz
A violent storm hit southern Ticino on Tuesday evening. Hailstones up to seven centimetres in diameter damaged roofs, cars and fields. At the same time, MeteoSwiss registered a new precipitation record for the southern side of the Alps.
Within a few minutes, southern Ticino was transformed into a white landscape on Tuesday evening. A particularly heavy thunderstorm cell moved over the Mendrisiotto at around 9.30 pm, bringing torrential rain, strong gusts of wind and unusually large hailstones.
According to MeteoSwiss, individual hailstones reached a diameter of up to seven centimetres. Eyewitnesses reported projectiles that were sometimes the size of apricots - a rare occurrence even for Ticino, which is prone to thunderstorms.
The municipalities of Morbio Superiore, Morbio Inferiore, Castel San Pietro, Balerna, Coldrerio, Vacallo and Chiasso were particularly affected.
Some roofs were damaged, skylights destroyed and numerous vehicles were damaged by the hail. The agricultural sector also reported considerable damage. Several roads and underpasses had to be temporarily closed.
The fire departments were in action throughout the night. According to the authorities, a total of 35 firefighters and around 15 vehicles were deployed.
In addition to the hail, the enormous amounts of rain caused quite a stir. Between 9 and 10 p.m. alone, around 60 liters of water per square meter fell in Mendrisiotto.
In Coldrerio, MeteoSwiss recorded 40.9 millimetres of precipitation in just ten minutes. This exceeded the previous record for the southern side of the Alps. The previous record was 37.1 millimetres and had only been measured in Cadenazzo in 2024.
Heavy thunderstorms with very large hail were also observed in neighboring Piedmont at the same time. The weather situation remained tense during the night and later shifted towards Lugano and Monte Ceneri.
Despite the impressive images and considerable material damage, no injuries have been reported so far.
