A Trail of Devastation

Severe Weather Chaos in Italy: Cars Swept Into the Sea

Severe storms raged in southern Italy.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Screenshot X/@vigilidelfuoco, kameraOne)

Severe storms raged again in southern Italy on Saturday. Roads were covered in mud and debris, cars were swept into the sea, and homes were flooded. The island of Sicily had already been hit by two tornadoes on Friday.

The second-highest alert level, orange, is in effect in Sicily, large parts of Calabria, and areas of Campania and Apulia. In Melito di Porto Salvo in Calabria, roads were covered in mud and debris. Damage was also reported in Naples, Pozzuoli, and Giugliano, as well as on the Aeolian Islands.

The municipality of Melito di Porto Salvo in Calabria has been particularly hard hit. After heavy overnight rains, streets were flooded and covered with mud and debris. Emergency responders from civil defense, the fire department, and the police were on the scene.

The Italian fire department responded to more than 150 calls in just two days:

“The town has been severely affected,” Mayor Tito Nastasi told the media. A veritable flash flood struck the municipality during the night. Vehicles were swept out to sea, and walls collapsed. Some roads are no longer passable.

The tornado left a trail of devastation in Melito di Porto Salvo:

Homes flooded
The Campania region was also affected by the storms. Flooding, landslides, fallen trees, and power outages were reported in Naples, Pozzuoli, and Giugliano. On the island of Lipari off the coast of Sicily, a nighttime thunderstorm caused significant damage. Dozens of homes were flooded, and cars got stuck in the mud. At the port of Sottomonastero, vehicles were trapped in the flooded area.

Storms raged at the port of Sottomonastero:

Two tornadoes struck
Tornadoes had already hit western Sicily on Friday. Marsala and the neighboring towns of Petrosino and Mazara del Vallo were particularly hard hit. Vehicles were overturned, buildings were damaged, and a residential house was destroyed. Two people were seriously injured after they were driving their car during the tornado. At a school in Marsala, windows were shattered and parts of the ceiling were damaged. Power poles also toppled over.

Two tornadoes had already struck Sicily on Friday:

The head of Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency, Salvatore Cocina, described the event as virtually unprecedented for the Mediterranean island. He said the storm’s intensity was comparable to a tornado as seen in the United States. Cocina also pointed out the link between the climate crisis and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Following an unusually hot summer, Civil Protection had already warned in early September of possible extreme weather conditions in the fall. Sicily’s Regional President, Renato Schifani, announced special funds to address the damage.

According to weather services, a low-pressure system over the southern Tyrrhenian Sea is bringing warm, humid air from North Africa to southern Italy, southern Lazio, and the central Adriatic coast. As a result, widespread and, in some cases, heavy rainfall is expected. Since the ground in many areas is already saturated from the rains of the past few days, there remains a risk of flooding and landslides.