A freak hailstorm covered Rome in ice, leaving drivers trapped in their cars and floodwater running down escalators

• An extreme hailstorm hit Rome on Sunday, blanketing the city in ice and creating rivers of meltwater.

• Drivers were trapped in their cars and small rivers ran down the escalators in underground stations, forcing some to close.

• The bad weather also affected other areas of Italy, including Milan, Bologna, and Sicily.

• Videos on social media show the scale of the cleanup operation in Rome, as tall banks of hail lined the streets on Monday.

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A freak hailstorm covered Rome in ice on Sunday, leaving drivers trapped in their cars and creating rivers of freezing water on the streets and in the city's subway stations.

Photos posted to social media show that the city looked as if it was covered in snow after the freak storm hit and interrupted the summery conditions that had been in the city.

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054280539887296512?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054274624664596480?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

Footage showed the hail fall, blanketing the ground.

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054106494541664262?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

The conditions left drivers trapped in their cars as the hail collected and meltwaters caused flooding on the roads.

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054140008519606272?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054117344702717952?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

These floodwaters poured into underground stations, creating rivers on the escalators.

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054318578382594049?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054318578382594049?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

At least six Metro stops and one overground station were closed,Italian news site TheLocal.it reported, though all stations had reopened by Monday morning.

The weather also reached other parts of Italy, including Milan, Bologna, and Sicily.

Agriculture association Coldiretti called the sudden hail "a calamity for Italian farming", according to Italian news agency Ansa.

Footage from Tuesday shows huge amounts of hail on the side of Rome's streets as the cleanup operation begun.

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054665528269168640?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

https://twitter.com/severeweatherEU/status/1054454726455107584?ref_src=twsrc^tfw