Europe weather today: Atlantic rain in the northwest, strong storms in northern Italy

Weather across western and central Europe is divided today between Atlantic systems moving through the northwest and more settled air pushing into parts of the Alpine region. The most significant severe-weather signal in this overview is over northern Italy, where Italy's Civil Protection department has issued orange thunderstorm alerts for specific areas of Liguria and Emilia-Romagna.

United Kingdom: early rain clears for many areas

Across much of England and Wales, early cloud and rain clear southeastwards during the morning or early afternoon. The Met Office expects brighter spells to follow, although it remains breezy and a few showers can persist, especially toward northern and western coasts. In southeast England the damp start gives way to a drier and milder afternoon.

France: wet near the Channel, sunnier in the southeast

A new disturbance keeps Brittany, the Channel coast and parts of northern France cloudier and wetter. The rain only moves east slowly, so conditions vary sharply across the country. Southeast France is much brighter and warmer, with Météo-France indicating highs locally in the upper 20s Celsius.

Germany: rain and stronger winds in the north

Northern Germany is affected by cloud, light rain and a strengthening southwesterly wind. The German Weather Service expects gusts around 55 km/h on the North Sea coast and isolated gusts up to around 70 km/h on the islands during the afternoon and early evening. Central and southern parts of Germany have a better chance of longer dry intervals.

Alpine region: improving in Switzerland and Austria

Switzerland sits under a high-pressure ridge extending from the nearby Atlantic into central Europe. Low cloud and fog are possible locally early on, especially close to the Alps, but sunny spells become more widespread during the day. Austria starts much cloudier and wetter, then gradually dries out, with sunny intervals becoming more likely from around midday. Carinthia and Styria can still see showers later in the day.

Northern Italy: thunderstorms and official alerts

An Atlantic disturbance brings widespread showers and thunderstorms to parts of northern and central Italy, including Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Tuscany. Orange thunderstorm alerts apply to specific sectors of Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, with yellow alerts extending to additional areas. Storm intensity can vary rapidly from one place to another, so local official updates remain important.

Travel picture for Thursday

For road and rail travel, the main weather-related disruptions are most likely where heavy showers, thunderstorms or strong coastal winds occur: northern Italy, the North Sea coast and some Channel-facing areas. Across Switzerland and increasingly across Austria, conditions tend to improve through the day. This is a regional overview rather than a single Europe-wide warning; national meteorological and civil-protection services remain the reference for local alerts.

In short: Atlantic weather keeps northwest Europe changeable, central Europe turns quieter in places, and northern Italy has the day's clearest severe-weather focus with thunderstorms and official regional alerts.