Lake Como homes evacuated amid flash floods in northern Italy

Parts of the province of Lecco in Lombardy were left underwater in Italy's latest bout of extreme weather, which came as the centre and south of the country braced itself for an early heatwave. 

Homes, farms and a campsite had to be evacuated after severe storms overnight left rivers dangerously swollen.

Train services were disrupted and several roads were impassable, including the route around part of Lake Como. 

The downpours combined with melting snow in the mountains sent more than a thousand cubic meters of water per second flooding into the lake at one point this afternoon. Parts of the road that rings it were under more than a metre of water.

High water and fallen trees were also reported in the provinces of Como, Brescia and Sondrio.

Several parts of the region saw hailstorms overnight, with people in Bergamo province left shovelling ice from the roads.

Some residents shared pictures of huge hailstones that looked to be the size of eggs.

Meanwhile sudden strong winds yesterday in Bolzano, in the region of Trentino-Alto Adigo, toppled a tree onto a walkway, badly injuring a German tourist and her young son.

Conditions are set to change abruptly in the coming days, with temperatures forecast to climb above their seasonal average all over the country.

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