Colossal 26ft Waves Pummel Italy from Cyclone Harry Swell (Video)
Portions of Italy are getting hammered by wild weather and massive waves, particularly in the southern region with the islands of Sicily and Sardinia being hardest hit.
The turbulent seas, flooding, and heavy downpours are the result of Tropical Cyclone Harry, a storm in the Mediterranean, unloading most of its fury on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Sea coastlines. Scenes of destruction from the storm are spreading across social media.
See below for huge waves hitting Catanzaro, the capital city of the Calabria region.
One commenter wrote: “Mamma mia, it looks like a tsunami.”
“The cyclone’s power is most evident in the waters,” reports Euro Weekly News. “In Mazara del Vallo, a province in Sicily, impressive waves exceeding 8 metres (26 feet) in height have been recorded, while in Catania, the sea has surged past 5 metres (16 feet). The maritime fury has forced the suspension of all ferries and hydrofoils to Sardinia and smaller islands, leaving these communities isolated. In the Messina area, the impact was so severe that a section of the seaside promenade in Santa Teresa di Riva collapsed entirely.”
Elsewhere in Sicily, storm waves broke through beachside restaurant, flooding the dining room. See the CCTV footage of the destruction below:
“Powerful storms driven by Cyclone Harry battered Sicily this week, triggering severe flooding, violent storm surges and widespread damage along the island’s coast,” reports the NY Post.
You may be wondering: With all this swell, is anyone surfing? Turns out, yes.
Although Italy is not Europe’s premier destination for wave-riding – on account of the fickle Mediterranean, in comparison to other countries bordering the much bigger Atlantic – it appears that some moments of clean conditions have emerged amidst the chaos.
Like from Italian surfing champion, Matteo Calatri, seen here in Sardinia: