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Climate and risks: seismic zone 3, many residents in flood areas, sites to be remediated

Massa is in seismic zone 3 in the Civil Protection classification (May 2025). According to ISPRA IdroGEO, 37.5% of residents live in medium-hazard flood areas and 8.8% in high or very high landslide-hazard areas. ARPAT counts 239 sites under remediation procedures in the municipality; in 2024 PM10 exceeded the daily threshold on a single day.

Sections: Seasons · Rainfall · Temperatures · Air quality · Environmental hazards

Earthquakes

In the Civil Protection Department's seismic classification of municipalities, updated in May 2025, the Comune di Massa is in zone 3, where strong earthquakes are less likely than in zones 1 and 2.

Floods and landslides

The Comune's page on ISPRA's IdroGEO platform, with the indicators of the ISPRA 2024 report, estimates 37.5% of residents in areas flooded under the medium-hazard scenario and 8.8% in high or very high landslide-hazard areas. Before choosing a home it is worth checking the area on the same platform's map.

Air and water

According to ARPAT's 2025 Yearbook, the MS-Marina vecchia station exceeded the daily PM10 threshold of 50 µg/m³ on a single day in both 2023 and 2024 (35 exceedances a year are allowed), and nitrogen dioxide stayed below the annual limit. The Frigido-Secco water body is in good ecological status and not good chemical status for 2022–2024. In 2024 the municipality's 12 bathing areas, over about 13 km of coast, gave 74 compliant samples out of 76.

Contaminated sites

The same yearbook lists 239 sites under remediation procedures in the Comune di Massa, covering about 2,465 hectares, more than in Carrara; ARPAT warns that the data may not be fully complete or up to date.

Days per year above the PM10 limit (50 µg/m³)
City figurePeriod: 2024Validsample unknown
Source: SNPA – La qualità dell'aria in Italia nel 2024: PM10, tabella ISQA per stazione (dati ARPA/APPA, provvisori) · Dati 2024 elaborati dalle ARPA/APPA a fine anno, provvisori: le relazioni regionali definitive possono dedurre i superamenti attribuibili a polveri desertiche. Valore limite: max 35 giorni/anno. Unica stazione nel comune nella tabella.
6days

Missing: temp_jan_avg, temp_jul_avg, rain_days_year

Data

Days per year above the PM10 limit (50 µg/m³)
City figurePeriod: 2024Validsample unknown
Source: SNPA – La qualità dell'aria in Italia nel 2024: PM10, tabella ISQA per stazione (dati ARPA/APPA, provvisori) · Dati 2024 elaborati dalle ARPA/APPA a fine anno, provvisori: le relazioni regionali definitive possono dedurre i superamenti attribuibili a polveri desertiche. Valore limite: max 35 giorni/anno. Unica stazione nel comune nella tabella.
6days

Sources

Dipartimento della Protezione Civile – Classificazione sismica· Presidenza del Consiglio – Dipartimento della Protezione Civile

Updated: 2026-10-22

Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31

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