A Tornado on the Ionian Coast, and a Cold Turn in the Forecast

A tornado tore through the restaurant of a beach resort at Castellaneta Marina, on Italy's southern coast, in surveillance footage published by Al Jazeera on Monday. The clip shows the structure struck and debris lifted into the air within seconds as the storm passed over the shoreline. The Al Jazeera video report did not set out casualties or the extent of the damage.

The same day brought warnings of rougher weather to come. The Local Italy reported that temperatures would fall below seasonal averages across the country this week, with heavy rain and strong winds expected in the centre and south on Monday. The outlet's daily roundup listed storm alerts for southern Italy alongside the day's political news.

Above the daily weather sits a larger signal. The Guardian reported that the stratospheric polar vortex over the northern hemisphere faces the prospect of an unusually early weakening, with forecast models suggesting it could weaken significantly over the next 10 days. Disruption to the winds above the Arctic, the paper said, threatens to alter weather patterns across parts of Europe in the coming weeks.