Bad weather

Storm and cancelled beaches: new red alert between Sardinia and Sicily. The videos

Over the three days, the fire brigade carried out 1,650 interventions due to bad weather, with the peak in Sicily with over a thousand interventions, followed by Sardinia and Calabria

by Davide Madeddu

21 January 2026

Le onde si infrangono sulla costa di Taormina, Italia, 20 gennaio 2026. ANSA/CARMELO IMBESI

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Unprecedented rainfall. And then beaches obliterated, roads closed and houses flooded and evacuated, and damage yet to be quantified. From Sardinia to Sicily, passing through Calabria, the effects of the bad weather are still being felt. It is certainly no coincidence that the red alert has been extended for today. Over the three days, the fire brigade carried out 1,650 interventions due to the bad weather, with the peak in Sicily with over a thousand interventions, followed by Sardinia and Calabria.

Red alert in Sardinia

In Sardinia, the Civil Protection has extended the red alert in the Cagliari, Campidano and Ogliastra areas. Some changes in Sulcis, where the hydrogeological risk remains red but the hydraulic risk is orange. Conditions are improving in Gallura and Tirso, areas that have gone from red to orange alert.

The numbers of the three days of bad weather, however, are significant: in 48 hours, four months' worth of rain fell.

Maltempo nel Messinese, semi-travolti da un'onda in diretta Fb

Cagliari soaking

In Cagliari, the Poetto district literally ended up under water. The waves reached kiosks and restaurants and the cycle path, causing damage to the structures. In Capoterra and Sinnai, dozens of families were evacuated yesterday as a precaution. The alarm returned this morning. The 195 road connecting Cagliari to Capoterra was hit by the sea storm. Other problems occurred in the Nuoro area, where damage was reported at the port and in some houses reached by the sea, and in Tortolì, where a tree ended up on top of a car in which two people were not seriously injured.

Beach cancelled in Olbia

In Olbia, the alert has been downgraded from red to orange, with moderate criticality, and even if the wind continues to blow along the coast, it would seem that the worst is over. Since this morning, rescue workers have been at work along the beaches of the Olbia coastline to monitor the state of the sandy shores and any damage caused by the storms and rain. The beaches most frequently visited in the summer and identifying with Olbia, Pittulongu, Lo squalo and Bados, now appear completely changed. The sea storms have brought mountains of posidonia onto the beaches.

The waves invaded the road and the footpath behind the beach and the sea water reached the pond behind where the car parks are located in summer, now flooded and unusable. Damage was also caused to the historic premises on the beach, such as restaurants and bars, which saw the water reach their windows and their signs torn off by the fury of the wind

Maltempo in Sardegna, il ciclone Harry cancella una spiaggia a Chia

The President of the Region

This morning the President of the Region, Alessandra Todde, had a conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, to update him on the effects and consequences of the bad weather that has hit Sardinia in recent days. During the conversation, the president thanked the minister for his availability.

"The president is in constant contact with the Civil Protection, with the regional councillor for the Defence of the Environment, Rosanna Laconi, who is directly involved in coordinating the interventions, and with the local administrators of the worst affected territories, with whom there is full willingness to jointly address the emerging critical issues," the region states. All of the region's operational structures are working to ensure the safety of the population and the territory and to minimise the inconvenience for citizens.

From Palermo to Catania

Damage and inconveniences also in the other regions. In Sicily, in Palermo, there were two critical situations in the port areas. The first, at around 19.00 yesterday, involved a car that had sunk in the Arenella marina; the owner of the vehicle managed to save himself before it sank.

The second intervention took place around 02.20, near the Trapezoidal Pier, following the detachment of two jetties to which several boats were moored; the intervention of the Fire Brigade teams, who managed to create a makeshift anchorage despite the prohibitive weather conditions, was decisive in preventing more than 20 boats from drifting.

Maltempo nel Sassarese, strade allagate a Capoterra

Problems also in the Catanese area, in the seaside town of Acireale. In Stazzo, the walls facing the seafront of several houses have been "knocked down" by the force of the sea.>Problems in Calabria Problems also occurred in Calabria where, in four days, an amount of rain amounting to about half the average annual rainfall fell, with unprecedented recordings in some cases. According to Arpacal, the values recorded at some rainfall stations 'are well above the climatological reference averages and confirm the extraordinary and anomalous nature of the event'. The mayor of Catanzaro announced the request for a state of natural disaster.