Wet snowfall in Italy remains one of the primary causes of power outages for both transmission and distribution networks. Resilience plans of electricity operators must address this extreme meteorological threat and seek solutions to mitigate its effects through network reinforcement or active measures. RSE is engaged in three main research lines: a historical reconstruction of wet snow loads through meteorological reanalysis (MERIDA), a forecasting system called Wet-snow Overload aLert and Forecasting (WOLF) to identify conditions favorable for wet-snow sleeve formation on overhead conductors, and monitoring systems for sleeve formations on test spans.

For the first activity, the reconstruction of major snow events over the past 21 years (2000-2020) combined with the ice accretion model for wet snow (Makkonen model, ISO12494:2017) has updated the map of wet-snow loads in the National Normative Aspects for Italy (NNA, 50341-2-13). Moving to the second activity, the WOLF forecasting system has recently been enhanced with additional criteria for identifying wet snowfalls based on vertical thermal gradients obtained from the WRF-ARW Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model.

Furthermore, forecasting conditions for freezing rain have been introduced and integrated into the WOLF alert system. Lastly, as the third activity, in addition to the Wetsnow Ice Laboratory Detection (WILD) dedicated to measuring sleeve growth on high-voltage overhead conductors (AT) and field testing of anti-icing coatings, WILD 2.0 stations have been installed in various climatic areas of Italy where severe electrical faults have occurred. The experimental spans, 75 meters long, provide measurements of snow sleeve load on various Medium Voltage (MT) conductors ranging from 16 mm² to 150 mm², along with key meteorological parameters involved during snow accretion. WILD 2.0 stations are equipped with ice-free weather sensors, tower cameras, load cells, IoT on conductors and aerial cables for monitoring sleeve load and span inclination.