Sweeping thunderstorms have unleashed devastating flash floods, transforming a popular Italian holiday destination into a temporary lake. The severe weather has caused significant disruption, with dramatic scenes emerging from the island of Sicily.
Chaos in Sicily as Streets Become Rivers
Shocking footage circulating on social media captures the severity of the situation in Syracuse, Sicily. The videos, filmed near Piazza Euripide, show motorbikes almost entirely submerged by the murky floodwaters. Cars are seen navigating the deluge at a crawl, their hazard lights blinking urgently in the gloomy conditions.
The force of the water was powerful enough to sweep away red and white tables and chairs from local establishments, completely obscuring the roads beneath. A couple of pedestrians were pictured braving the storm, using umbrellas for scant protection as they waded through knee-deep water.
This is not an isolated event for the region. The ItaliaMeteo Agency has issued a moderate rainfall and thunderstorm warning for the coming days. This latest bout of severe weather follows similar flash floods that engulfed the towns of Agrigento and San Leone on October 1, which left residents trapped in their homes.
Storm Melissa Wreaks Havoc Across Spain
Meanwhile, Spain is grappling with its own meteorological crisis. The country was struck by a mega storm, identified as Storm Melissa, which has caused chaos from the mainland to the Balearic Islands.
In Barcelona, dramatic videos show cars battling through torrents of flood water after the city was placed on an orange alert by Meteocat, the meteorological service of Catalonia. The storm, a downgraded hurricane that previously wreaked havoc in Jamaica, battered the city with hail and heavy rain. Authorities issued warnings for residents to stay indoors and take 'extreme precautions'.
The impact on travel has been severe. Barcelona's El Prat Airport experienced major disruptions, with Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia reporting at least 47 cancellations for both domestic and international flights. A flight tracking graphic showed numerous grounded aircraft.
Firefighters in Barcelona responded to dozens of weather-related incidents, including residents trapped inside their buildings by the torrential downpour. The situation was equally dire elsewhere in Catalonia; a property was evacuated in Badia del Valles over fears of a roof collapse, and several people had to be rescued after becoming stranded in their cars.
Widespread Disruption and a Deadly Precedent
The storm caused several waterways to overflow, with footage from Cerdanyola del Valles, near Barcelona, showing flooded streets after the Riu Sec river burst its banks.
Over in the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca was nearly brought to a standstill by hail and rain, leading to dozens of delays at Palma airport. Social media videos depicted panicked locals running for cover as hail and thunder struck.
In the northwestern region of Galicia, waves soared to heights of more than five metres, accompanied by winds reaching 80 kilometres per hour. The violent storm is forecast to continue, with the worst conditions expected in Andalucia, Galicia, Catalonia and Aragon.
These extreme weather events are a grim reminder for Spain, coming just one year after the region of Valencia was struck by devastating flash floods that killed more than 230 people, one of Europe's deadliest natural disasters in living memory.
