Hailstones cause havoc in province of Brescia.
A powerful storm hit the northern Italian region of Lombardia early on Friday, dumping hailstones the size of golf balls – and in some cases larger – on the province of Brescia, smashing car windscreens, damaging homes and flattening solar panels.
The storm formed shortly before 04.00 to the south-west of Novara before racing east-north-east, crossing the area north of Milan and reaching the Brescia province between 06.00 and 06.30.
Some hailstones reportedly reached 10cm in diameter or more, and the facade of a building in Castrezzato, near Brescia, was left riddled with impact marks.
Hail stones “the size of mandarins”
According to local news outlet Giornale di Brescia, stones of seven to eight centimetres fell across the city and surrounding towns including Roncadelle, Castel Mella, Rovato and Flero, with the worst damage to vehicles reported around Fornaci and Roncadelle.
In Castrezzato, hail described as “the size of mandarins” battered cars, tore PVC cladding from a block of flats and damaged both a civil protection vehicle and a local police car.
Danni in diversi zone della provincia di Brescia a causa di una violenta grandinata che si è abbattuta sul territorio nelle prime ore di venerdì 28 agosto. I pezzi di ghiaccio enormi caduti durante il breve ma intenso temporale che ha investito l’area, hanno distrutto auto,… pic.twitter.com/Si47wcFMxe
— Local Team (@localteamit) August 28, 2026
The town of Chiari was also hit hard, with reports of shattered car bodywork and windscreens, torn-off roofing and solar panels, and at least one fallen tree; the local fire station was flooded.
Further storm damage was reported in Pontoglio and Castelcovati. In the neighbouring Bergamo province, the agricultural group Coldiretti reported damage to photovoltaic installations, farm roofs and stables, along with maize crops flattened just weeks before harvest.
Strong winds
The storm subsequently pushed on towards Verona and the Veneto region, with strong winds and further downpours reported in Milan and Bergamo as it moved through.
An orange weather warning for storms remains in force in Milan until Saturday, with wind gusts of up to 55km/h possible, prompting the closure of the city’s parks and some public swimming pools as a precaution.
Forecasters expect the unsettled weather to clear over the weekend, with high pressure bringing largely sunny and stable conditions to Lombardia from Saturday.