Rain, hail pummel Florence; damage blocks trains, roofs ripped off; trees toppled

ROME – The Italian state railways says service is back to normal on a key Rome-Florence line after a roof, ripped off by a whirlwind, toppled a power pylon.

The railway reported no more cancellations or delays Sunday after the power outage.

A thunderstorm, hail and fierce winds Saturday evening pummeled Florence, flooding basements and knocking down hundreds of trees. Italian state radio said the most serious of dozens of injuries was head trauma suffered by a teenager struck by a tree.

The downed electric line near Florence forced the railways to send some trains back to Rome, while other trains, which departed from Turin and Milan for Rome and Naples, went back to Milan.

Saturday began Italy's big vacation month, August, just as another heat wave was predicted to grip Rome.