Bad weather, the Po rises by more than 2 meters in 24 hours

This is what emerges from Coldiretti's monitoring of the hydrometric level at Ponte della Becca on the effects of the latest disturbance

ROME - The level of the Po river has risen by more than 2 meters in the last 24 hours under the pressure of the new wave of bad weather that hit the Peninsula with intense rainfall, after a long period of heat and drought.This is what emerges from the monitoring of Coldiretti on the hydrometric level at Ponte della Becca on the effects of the latest disturbance which caused flooding of rivers and streams, flooding, landslides and mudslides.

The state of the largest Italian river – underlines Coldiretti – is representative of the suffering of the waterways that swelled due to the rains of the cyclone Poppea with overflows and floods.The levels of the lakes are also rising - continues Coldiretti - with the largest rising by more than half a meter in one day, returning to the average values ​​for the period after a long period of worrying dryness, but Como is also rising sharply, rising by over 40 centimeters and Garda by 10 centimeters above the average for the period.
We are faced with – underlines Coldiretti – one evident tendency towards tropicalization with a higher frequency of violent demonstrations, seasonal shifts, short and intense rainfall and the rapid transition from heat to bad weather which caused damage in cities and countryside with uncovered roofs, felled trees and flooded fields.
The cyclone in fact arrives in a 2023 ranks up to now in Italy in the top ten of the hottest years ever with a temperature 0.67 degrees higher than the historical average which ranks it in third place among the highest ever recorded in the period since 1800, when the recordings began, according to Coldiretti's analysis of Isac Cnr data in the first seven months of 2023 which also highlights that for northern Italy it was the second warmest year, with the anomaly of the period being well +0.86 degrees higher than the average.
2023 - continues Coldiretti - was marked by the crazy climate with at the beginning a serious drought which compromised the crops in the field and then for a few months by the multiplication of extreme weather events, abundant rainfall and low temperatures and finally by the scorching heat at July and the end of August.

A black year for Italian agriculture with damages which, between crops and infrastructure, will exceed the 6 billion of last year, with a 10% cut in wheat production, a 14% cut in wine grape production and up to 63% in pears while the honey harvest has fallen by 70% compared to last year, according to Coldiretti analysis and there is also a decline for tomatoes.

Agriculture is the economic activity that, more than any other, experiences the consequences of climate change on a daily basis, but it is also the sector most committed to combating it - continues Coldiretti - it is a new challenge for agricultural businesses that must interpret the news reported by climatology and the effects on crop cycles and water management.We need – concludes Coldiretti – investments for the maintenance, saving, recovery and regulation of water, a commitment to the diffusion of low consumption irrigation systems, but also research and innovation for the development of resistant crops.