Mediterranean cyclones, known as medicanes, include Cyclone Harry which struck in January, have been devastating ports, homes and roads, reshaping the structure of coastlines. Medicanes are warm-core systems that are becoming increasingly frequent in the Mediterranean, driven by rising sea temperatures linked to the climate emergency.
“With the Mediterranean [experiencing] among its hottest years on record in 2025, warmer seas are supercharging the atmosphere and fuelling extreme events,” said Christian Mulder, a professor of ecology and climate emergency at the University of Catania in Sicily.
The destructive force of these cyclones, with winds exceeding 60mph (97km/h) and seas whipped into waves of up to 15 metres, has left a long trail of devastation, destroying ports, damaging homes as well as tearing up roads and eating away long stretches of coastline in southern Italy.
On 25 January, after torrential rain brought by Cyclone Harry, a devastating landslide tore away an entire slope in the town of Niscemi, Sicily, creating a 4km-long chasm. Roads collapsed, cars were swallowed and whole sections of the urban fabric plunged into the valley below. {read}