A man tries to reach a car that has been blocked by ice after a severe hailstorm hit Rome, Italy, on Sunday evening
A man tries to reach a car that has been blocked by ice after a severe hailstorm hit Rome, Italy.
Massive chunks of hail and torrential rain battered Rome when a freak storm struck on Sunday evening.

The adverse weather blanketed streets with icy chunks and trapped many drivers in their cars in the city's eastern neighbourhoods.

Some drivers abandoned their cars in the middle of streets that became flowing rivers of ice and were pictured slowly making their way through hail-covered streets.

Elsewhere in the city, buses were stopped and cars were abandoned after some streets were left severely flooded due to the rainfall.

A video captured icy water and hailstones running down escalators into an underground train station in the city.



Firefighters responded to similar incidents in Florence and Pisa, which were also hit by severe storms on Sunday.

The storms reached Sicily on Sunday, where the eastern province of Catania was hit by torrential rain for the second time in three days, thelocal.it reports.

Cars are blocked in a road covered with massive chunks of hail in Rome after a storm and torrential rain hit the area
© EPACars are blocked in a road covered with massive chunks of hail in Rome after a storm and torrential rain hit the area
The weather blanketed streets with icy chunks and trapped many drivers in their cars in Rome's eastern neighbourhoods
© EPAThe weather blanketed streets with icy chunks and trapped many drivers in their cars in Rome's eastern neighbourhoods
The severe weather also affected parts of northern Italy, including Milan, where strong winds toppled trees. In Bologna, the airport saw flights delayed due to difficult flying conditions.

Rome is set for a clear week with temperatures expected to peak at 18C on Monday and reach highs of 23C on Thursday, although a severe weather warning for wind remains in effect for the Italian capital until Tuesday.