The storms came after a week-long heatwave across Italy, where the authorities in several cities declared a red alert for extreme weather, judging that the temperatures were life-threatening even for people in good health.

Fire services had been called out 50 times to deal with damage from the wind, rain and resulting flooding Sunday, the fire services said on X.

They said a woman in Robechetto con Induno, just west of Milan, “died due to the fall of a tree”.

Several regions of northern Italy are still on “orange” alert, one level below the top, red alert level for extreme weather.

On Saturday, heavy rains forced Bergamo airport, northeast of Milan, to reroute 13 flights.

On Sunday, the regional capital of Lombardy, Milan, was bombarded with heavy rain and hail, leading to several interventions by the fire services. All the city’s parks were closed as a safety precaution.