The European warning system MeteoAlarm, drawing on data from the Italian Servizio Meteorologico, issued its highest alert level for three Italian regions on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria and Tuscany are on red alert owing to heavy rainfall,thunderstorms and wind. The warnings, issued at 11:15, remain in force until Friday, 13 November 2026, at 00:59. A further 22 regions are on orange alert and an additional 22 on yellow alert across Italy,predominantly due to wind and precipitation.
Three regions on the highest alert level
In Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the north-east, in Liguria in the north-west and in Tuscany, Italian meteorological services are simultaneously warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and wind. The red alert level under the European MeteoAlarm standard corresponds to a weather situation with potentially severe consequences for people and property, requiring particular caution. According to the specialist portal ilmeteo.net, the areas most affected are the coast and hinterland of Levante Liguria, upper Tuscany and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Model runs indicate expected precipitation of between 100 and 200 millimetres in Liguria and the Alta Toscana through to Thursday, with locally higher amounts. More than 50 millimetres are forecast for the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
22 regions on orange alert
A total of 22 Italian regions are on the second-highest level, predominantly with wind warnings. Among those placed on orange are Abruzzo,the Basilicata and Calabria.Further regions with orange or yellow warnings are spread across the entire peninsula, extending down to Sicily.The underlying cause is an Atlantic disturbance that, according to Italian meteorological services, is intensifying throughout the week. Warnings for Marche (thunderstorms), Piedmont and Puglia (fog in both cases) expired only this morning, before the next wave takes over.
Cyclone Charles moves across the Mediterranean
The Italian specialist portal ilmeteo.net attributes the situation to the Mediterraneanlow "Charles", which is organising itself over the Gulf of Genoa on Wednesday. In combination with a trough over northern Europe and an Atlantic low of around 990 hectopascals, a broad precipitation focus is developing over Liguria and the Alta Toscana. On Thursday, the centre of the system shifts towards the central Apennines; by Friday, the precipitation is reaching central and southern Italy. For 13 November, peaks of around 100 millimetres are forecast in the Apennines of Abruzzo, Lazio and Campania. Temperatures in the second half of the week will be 6 to 8 degrees above average in many areas, meaning precipitation will fall as rain rather than snow down to mid-range altitudes.
MeteoAlarm and the Protezione Civile compared
Two warning systems operate in parallel. The European MeteoAlarm, run by the EUMETNETnetwork, consolidates warnings from national meteorological services and indicates the level of risk to the public using red, orange and yellow categories. The Italian Protezione Civile issues its own national bulletin, which assesses risks operationally for civil protection purposes and emergency services. Both systems draw on the same raw data from the Italian Servizi Meteorologici, though they weight it differently. For this Wednesday, the Protezione Civile has issued orange for parts of Emilia-Romagna and yellow for Liguria, Tuscany and parts of Emilia-Romagna. MeteoAlarm takes a stricter view of the same situation, placing Liguria, Tuscany and Friuli-Venezia Giulia on red.
What travellers and residents should bear in mind
For the next three days, Italian meteorological services advise avoiding stays near rivers,along the coast and on hillsides. In the red zones, there are elevated risks of flooding, landslides and traffic disruption. The Autostrada A12 along the Ligurian coast and the A11 between Florence and the Tyrrhenian coast fall within the area of heaviest precipitation. Air, rail and ferry connections may be disrupted at short notice, particularly along the northern Adriatic and between Genoa and Livorno. Those currently travelling in the affected regions can obtain information on road closures and risks from the official regional portals: for Liguria via ARPAL,for Tuscany via the Servizio Idrologico Regionale Toscana, and for Friuli-Venezia Giulia via the Protezione Civile FVG.
