Republic Day wash-out as cyclone brings storms

Cyclone Valchirie is set to bring strong storms and sudden downpours across northern and central Italy.

The inclement weather will arrive on Wednesday evening, with Italy's civil protection unity issuing storm warnings for the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy.

The turbulent weather will continue on Thursday, making life difficult for motorists looking to escape the city for the holiday. 

The western coast of Liguria, Tuscany and Lazio are set to be worst affected by rainfall, ilmeteo.it reported.

But despite the storms, meteorologists are predicting temperatures will remain fairly high, with daytime temperatures of between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius in the north.

As rain and storms batter much of central and northern Italy, the southern regions of Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, and the sun-kissed islands of Sardinia and Sicily will remain unaffected.

Southern regions can expect clear, blue skies and summery weather, with temperatures reaching as high as 24 degrees Celsius in Catania. 

The unsettled weather is expected to continue on Friday, with further storms and showers forecast across much of the centre-north.

Severe storms are predicted for the northeastern region of Lombardy on Friday, just four days after its capital of Milan suffered flash floods following intense rainfall.