Met office says devastating storm in Sicily won’t affect Malta

A vicious storm which raged across Sicily yesterday is not expected to affect the Maltese islands the Meteorological Office revealed. 

Speaking to Maltatoday, the Met Office said that Malta is actually expecting good weather for the week. In fact, they said the island is expecting a relatively uneventful weekend, with partly cloudy skies and little to no wind. 

“However, temperatures are expected to be three degrees cooler when compared to the same period last year.” 

7 day weather forcast

On Wednesday hundreds of motorists were forced to abandon their cars in Palermo, as rain flooded roads and tunnels, with firefighters and police dispersed across the city.

The storm devastated several areas around the city, with firefighters carrying out 320 operations, some still in progress due to flooding of houses. 

“Over one metre of rain fell in Palermo in less than two hours. It is the most violent rain in the history of the city since 1970, equal to what we get in a year...the usual procedures would have been activated that, despite the scale of the flooding, would have reduced the risk,” Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando told local media. 

Cars were abandoned on highways as flooding halted travel

A search and rescue mission is still underway for two missing persons suspected to have died after their car was submerged. The pair tried to shelter in an underpass, but the road quickly became blocked by the flooding, trapping them inside.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said that it was not aware of any Maltese residents reaching out for assistance due to the storm. 

The most affected areas of the city were Viale Michelangelo and via Ugo la Malfa with cars submerged in water and mud. Flooded garages and basements were also seen in Cruillas, Pallavicino as well as in the San Filippo Neri area.

Mineo was also affected, as a large tornado ripped through the city, earlier on Tuesday. The twister occurred during violent storms that battered southern Italy, including Sardinia and Calabria.