Cyclone Harry hits Sicily, Malta with fierce storm surges, flooding

Dramatic footage has captured the moment a towering storm-surge wave slammed into the harbour at Lipari, a holiday island off Sicily, as Cyclone Harry tore through the central Mediterranean. Videos posted on social media show white water exploding over quaysides, flooding streets, and violently tossing vessels against their moorings. One low-resolution security camera even recorded a person being swept away by a sudden torrent racing down a narrow street, The Sun reports.

Authorities issued red alerts across Sicily and Sardinia as the storm unleashed gale-force winds, intense rainfall, and dangerous storm surges. Gusts topped 74 mph, waves reached up to nine metres, and coastal flooding spread rapidly, prompting precautionary evacuations.

In total, 190 residents were evacuated from vulnerable areas across Sicily. At Giampilieri Marina near Messina, 32 residents of the Aurora Villa care facility were moved to safer locations, including relatives’ homes and municipal buildings. In Acireale, 95 people were evacuated from the coastal hamlets of Capo Mulini and Santa Maria La Scala. Additional evacuations were carried out in Pachino, Marzamemi, and the Granelli district to protect residents living closest to the sea.

Around 200 municipalities activated emergency operations centres to monitor the situation, and approximately 150 towns closed schools to limit travel during the height of the storm. More than 200 Civil Protection staff, 1,000 volunteers, and 5,000 emergency and municipal workers were deployed across the island to manage the crisis.

Transport was also disrupted. Powerful sirocco winds caused chaos at Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino Airport, forcing diversions and cancellations after aircraft were unable to land overnight. By Tuesday morning, flights had resumed with delays, although several departures remained cancelled.

The scenes in Lipari were mirrored elsewhere. In Fondachello, near Catania, footage shows seawater racing down a coastal street, sweeping a white car away amid surging debris and foam. Malta also faced severe weather, with shocking video showing hail piling up like snow and rivers of ice flooding streets. Malta’s Civil Protection Department warned residents to “avoid working at heights, including rooftops, balconies, scaffolding, and exposed structures” and to “stay away from the shoreline, breakwaters, and coastal paths.”

Forecasters have cautioned that the next few hours remain critical for southern Italy. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and urge residents in exposed coastal areas to remain alert as Cyclone Harry continues to batter the region.

By Vafa Guliyeva