Deadly storm hits north Italy, Switzerland, French Alps

Trees that have fallen in Milan in the northern Italian region of Lombardy due to a spring storm on April 17, 2025
Italy’s commercial hub Milan was impacted by the severe weather Image: Maule/Fotogramma/ROPI/picture alliance

A heavy spring storm on Friday is wreaking havoc across Europe’s Alps region, with Italy, Switzerland and France among the countries affected.

Northern Italy on high alert due to flooding
The weather system is dumping heavy rain on northern Italy, most notably the Piedmont, South Tyrol and Lombardy regions, causing flooding.

In the town of Valdagno, a car swept away by the floodwaters killed a father and son.

Monteu da Po residents clean up mud off their homes after flooding on April 18, 2025 Monteu da Po residents clean up mud off their homes after flooding on April 18, 2025
Residents in areas around the northern city of Turin had to clean up mud from around their homesImage: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images
In the Piedmont region, a 92-year-old man was discovered dead on Thursday by firefighters after his home was flooded. Piedmont has allocated €5 million ($5.7 million) in emergency assistance due to the storm.

The floodwaters prompted evacuations in the Aosta Valley, with 6,400 people there without electricity, according to the Italian ANSA news agency. The Aosta Valley lies east of France and south of Switzerland.

Some parks in the northern city of Milan were also closed due to strong winds and flooding concerns. Residents in the northwestern city of Turin were asked to stay home.

Zermatt resort in Swiss Alps hit by power outtages
In Switzerland, the Alpine resort destination Zermatt in the southern canton of Valais reported electricity and phone network outages amid heavy snow. Roads to Zermatt were cut off due to the storm.

A Swiss road to the city of Zermatt covered by snow on April 17, 2025A Swiss road to the city of Zermatt covered by snow on April 17, 2025
Popular alpine resort Zermatt was impacted by bad weatherImage: Jean-Christophe Bott/KEYSTONE/picture alliance
In Sion, also in Valais, 36,000 residents were asked to stay home and wait out the bad weather.

In the French resort of Val Thorens, a woman suffered a heart attack after she was hit by an avalanche, killing her.

The storm comes as Europeans take breaks due to the Easter holiday this weekend, with trains affected by delays.