Nine people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as torrential rain ravaged Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, triggering floods and landslides.

Some areas had half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours, causing rivers to burst their banks, sending water cascading through towns and submerging thousands of acres of farmland.

Sunday's Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, which is close to many of the worst-hit areas, was called off in an effort to relieve pressure on emergency services. A Bruce Springsteen concert in Ferrara later on Thursday was set to go ahead.

"The scale of the devastation caused by the bad weather is like another earthquake," Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia-Romagna region, said.

According to the Coldiretti agricultural association, more than 5,000 farms were left under water. The region includes Italy's so-called "Fruit Valley" that suffered extensive damage from an earthquake in 2012.

The government is expected to put aside an extra $22 million for Emilia-Romagna, on top of $11 million already allocated in response to previous floods in early May when two people died after severe storms.

Thousands were evacuated from their homes after rain hit the area between the city of Bologna and the city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast. More than 20 rivers burst their banks. The body of one of the victims was found on the beach in the town of Cesenatico, having been swept 20 kilometer from her home.

The torrential rain followed months of drought which had dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water, meteorologists said.

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