Waterspout Tornado Hits Italian Beach in Messina Sending Tourists Fleeing
- A towering waterspout tornado slammed into a popular beach in the Messina holiday hotspot in southern Italy, sending parasols flying into the air and prompting panicked tourists to...
- Wild footage captured the massive vortex of water and air forming beneath grey clouds over the sea before rapidly barrelling toward the shore in just a few minutes,...
- Swimmers and tourists experienced moments of chaos as they ran to safety, while brave holidaymakers watched the phenomenon from a safe distance.
A towering waterspout tornado slammed into a popular beach in the Messina holiday hotspot in southern Italy, sending parasols flying into the air and prompting panicked tourists to flee, according to local reports.
Messina Beach Tossed as Waterspout Slams Shore
Wild footage captured the massive vortex of water and air forming beneath grey clouds over the sea before rapidly barrelling toward the shore in just a few minutes, as reported by outlets covering the event. The twister approached the beach and sucked in several parasols, before spitting them out and hurling sunbeds high into the sky. Several beach beds floated several feet in the air, with some crashing down close to nearby buildings.
Swimmers and tourists experienced moments of chaos as they ran to safety, while brave holidaymakers watched the phenomenon from a safe distance.
The Physics of Mediterranean Waterspouts
Waterspouts are spinning columns of air and mist that form over a body of water when cool air meets warm water below and winds from different directions cause a vortex to spin. While they can cause serious damage despite their short life, they typically weaken and disappear once they hit land.
Cremona Devastated by Prior Northern Storms
The beach incident follows a series of severe storms and extreme weather events that have tormented Italy throughout the summer season. Last week, a separate tornado struck Cremona in northern Italy, causing widespread destruction. According to Italy’s fire brigade, emergency services received more than 500 emergency calls within a few short hours following that storm.
The Cremona severe weather event resulted in dozens of injuries and damaged ten churches, including the city’s main cathedral. An aggressive hailstorm subsequently hit the city, damaging 10,000 cars, destroying several roofs, and causing hundreds of trees to fall. Emergency services reported that most of the injured individuals were quickly discharged, while one remained under observation and four trauma patients required hospitalization.
Rome Struck as Warnings Remain Silent
Earlier in the season on June 3, Rome was also struck by a tornado that caused similar destruction to buildings, infrastructure, and vehicles across the capital. Tornadoes remain relatively rare in Italy, and the country’s civil protection agency stated that there were no watches or warnings in place for the recent onslaught of severe weather battering the nation.
