A severe hail front hit large parts of the wine-growing region of Rovereto in the Italian Trentino last week, causing significant damage. According to initial estimates from the Consortium for the Protection of Agricultural Producers (Codipra), more than 250 hectares of vineyards were damaged, with some vineyard areas completely destroyed. The insured damage amounts to over five million euros. Ongoing assessments could further increase this amount.

The wine-growing municipalities of Isera, Nogaredo, Mossano, and Borgo Sacco are particularly affected. The hail struck the vines during a particularly sensitive phase just before the grape harvest. According to Codipra, the actual yield losses depend on the intensity of the storm and the location of the individual vineyards.

The cause of the extreme weather is attributed to the high temperatures of recent days combined with a cold front. The resulting atmospheric instability led to severe thunderstorms with hail in a short period.

Codipra director Marica Sartori no longer sees this as an exceptional event. "We are no longer facing extraordinary weather events, but rather a new climatic normality that agriculture must learn to live with," she explained. The storm is part of a season characterized by unusually strong weather extremes.

According to the Edmund Mach Foundation, the spring and the current summer of 2026 have been marked by significant climate anomalies. In April, average temperatures were 2.9 degrees Celsius above the long-term average. In the second half of June, 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees were recorded. At the same time, significantly less precipitation has fallen since March than usual. Prolonged heat periods have been followed by increasingly severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, gusty winds, and hail.

Weather-related damage is also increasing in other parts of Italy. The farmers' association Coldiretti recorded 203 extreme weather events nationwide within a week based on data from the European Severe Weather Database (ESWD). In addition to the vineyards in Trentino, fruit orchards, cornfields, and olive groves in Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and the Marche have also been severely damaged. Regionally, crop losses of up to 80 percent are reported.

(ru – Image: Codipra Trento)

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