Record sea temperatures in the Mediterranean contributed to waterspout that hit Bayesian
Record temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea this summer contributed to the freak storm that sank a superyacht off the coast of Sicily, with similar extreme events expected to increase in frequency and intensity as the climate crisis tightens its grip, Italian scientists have said.
One person is confirmed to have died and rescuers are searching for six missing people, including the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, after the 56-metre Bayesian capsized in the early hours of Monday.
The vessel is thought to have been struck off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, by a tornadic waterspout, a whirling column of air and water mist that has the same characteristics as a land tornado.
Sea temperatures in the Mediterranean have reached 30C, three degrees higher than average, during two months of consecutive heatwaves, the most recent of which was broken at the weekend by a sudden blast of cold air and heavy storms across Italy.
Sicily had also been grappling with a months-long drought. The sea surface temperature around the southern Italian island on Monday was between 27.3C and 30.5C.
Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said the high temperatures created a huge amount of energy, which made the storms more intense.
“For example, 30 years ago an event of this kind might have brought winds of 100kmh,” he said.
