Cyclone over Sicily. Downpours and storms paralyzed southern Italy

Dantean scenes unfolded on 20-21 January this year in popular holiday destinations of the Mediterranean region. Sicily, Sardinia and Malta suffered the greatest damage, but Storm Harry also did not spare southern Spain and France. The intense cyclone brought strong winds and waves compared by witnesses to a tsunami.

Cyclone Harry – another extreme storm in Europe

As early as the morning of 18 January this year, international meteorological agencies reported the rapid development of a low-pressure system between the Sardinian Channel and the coast of Tunisia. An expert from the Italian Meteomed, Riccardo Ravagnan, explained in the media that the direct cause of the formation of Cyclone Harry was the collision of polar air from Central Europe with warm and unstable North African air.

Images acquired on 20 January from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite showed clear roughness of the sea surface along the coastal waters of Sicily, indicating storm-force winds and steep waves. This picture was confirmed by regional meteorological stations – wind gusts reached 120 km/h, and wave heights reached 8-9 m. Cyclone Harry also brought heavy rainfall. In Corsica, 318 mm of rain fell within 48 hours, and in Sicily locally even 360 mm.

Sardinia and Sicily attacked by the sea

In Sardinia, the arrival of the storm was heralded by gale-force winds and black clouds approaching from the eastern coast. Torrential, continuous rain, decidedly unusual for winter weather in this region, quickly caused rivers to swell in the Nuoro and Gallura areas. A flood wave carrying mud and stones paralyzed traffic on highways. In Cagliari, the beach was flooded, and authorities ordered the evacuation of nearby residents. Schools were closed as a precaution and sea connections were suspended.

The extraordinary power of Cyclone Harry was also felt in Sicily, where seven-metre waves overcame breakwaters in Acireale and Messina, pushing deep into the cities. The attack from the sea was so violent that people fled the streets in panic – witness accounts speak of a tsunami-like impression. Social media features recordings showing water suddenly entering restaurants, flooded streets blocked by fallen trees, destroyed bridges and quays. In Messina, part of the seaside promenade collapsed.

In Sicily, schools, parks and sports facilities were closed, and firefighters evacuated several hundred people.

Colossal economic losses

The scale of the threat that increasingly violent storms pose to coastal communities is also illustrated by the meteorological situation in Malta. Waves surged into the streets, toppling palm trees and destroying coastal infrastructure. The town of Marsaskala was particularly hard hit, where the flood wave entered residential buildings.

Maltese farmers report the disaster, having lost greenhouses, plastic tunnels and a significant portion of their crops. Preliminary estimates speak of about 5,000 euros in damage per farm. Restaurants, shops, energy networks and fishing boats were also affected.

In Sardinia, damage assessment has also begun – according to Rosanna Laconi, an environmental adviser on the island, minimum damage along the coast reaches 1 million euros, but the final bill will probably be much higher. A cause for concern remains the alarm water levels in the Cedrino, Posada and Flumendosa rivers.

Local media in Malta and Italy emphasize that the three-day storm will leave significant losses in the island economies and raise the question of the need for better preparation of infrastructure for similar phenomena. The adaptation of coastal communities to intensifying weather extremes is becoming one of the key challenges of climate policy.

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main photo: Kaszás Gergő Photography; https://gregkaszas.myportfolio.com/