More than 1,000 people have been evacuated in the northern region of Emilia Romagna due to severe flooding caused by Hurricane Boris, Italian authorities said on Thursday.

Dozens of firefighting crews and helicopters were involved in rescuing people trapped in their homes by the bad weather.

Power was cut in some areas, traffic was blocked on a number of main roads and many people spent the night in shelters set up by local authorities.

Several high-speed and intercity train services have been cancelled, while others are restricted.

The regional presidency has issued a red alert for deteriorating weather conditions, which will last until midnight on Friday, and has decided to close middle schools, high schools and kindergartens in Romania and the entire city of Bologna.