Multiple Tornadoes Strike Southern Italy Over Several Days on June 18th-20th 2025 and IF1 Tornado in Carlentini, Sicily

Marek Kučera June 21, 2025 3 min read

Between June 18 and June 20, 2025, Southern Italy—especially the regions of Sicily and Calabria—experienced a series of confirmed tornadoes, many occurring over water as waterspouts, with one significant tornado touching down on land near Carlentini, Sicily.

Waterspouts Across Sicily and Calabria

Numerous tornadoes formed over coastal waters and bays, observed between June 18 and June 20, mainly in Sicily and Calabria:

Cefalù, Sicily (June 18, ~13:05 UTC): A remarkable sequence of four distinct waterspouts was observed over the sea near Cefalù. Eyewitness photos and videos documented each funnel cloud, confirming the rare quadruple occurrence in close succession.
Lascari, Sicily (June 18, 13:15 UTC): A waterspout was observed over the sea, with photographic evidence and eyewitness reports confirming its presence.
Acquedolci, Sicily (June 18, 14:25 UTC): Another waterspout was sighted, supported by photos and videos, illustrating the active marine convective conditions.
Messina, Sicily (June 19, 04:20 UTC): A funnel cloud over water was captured on video, again confirming a waterspout event in the early hours.
Castellammare del Golfo (Scopello), Sicily (June 19, 11:25 UTC): Eyewitness reports and videos documented a waterspout in the Gulf of Castellammare.
Modica, Sicily (June 20, 12:45 UTC): A waterspout was observed with visible funnel cloud, supported by video evidence and multiple reports before some social media content was deleted.
Joppolo (Coccorino), Calabria (June 20, 14:50 UTC): A confirmed tornado occurred over water, although the funnel cloud itself was not directly observed. Eyewitness and trained storm spotter reports support the event’s validity.

Significant Tornado Touchdown on Land: Carlentini (Pedagaggi), Sicily

On June 18, 2025, at 11:00 UTC, a powerful IF1 tornado struck the area near Carlentini, Sicily, inflicting notable damage along a nearly 2-km path:

Estimated maximum wind speeds reached 36.7 m/s (approx. 132 km/h).
The tornado path was approximately 1.9 km long and 160 m wide.
Damage included seriously damaged roofs, snapped and uprooted trees, damaged power lines, broken windows, and partly collapsed walls.
Two outbuildings were semi-destroyed, cars were dented, and debris was scattered across roads, leading to closures.
A local weather station recorded a sharp pressure drop of 1.59 hPa concurrent with the tornado’s passage.

This event is particularly significant as it caused structural damage and impacted infrastructure, illustrating the destructive potential of even moderate-strength tornadoes in the Mediterranean region.

Context and Confirmation

All reports are confirmed by reliable sources (QC1 quality control) and were documented by trained storm spotters, eyewitnesses, photographs, videos, and meteorological data compiled by MeteoNetwork Pretemp.

This cluster of tornado and waterspout activity highlights the active convective weather patterns over southern Italy in mid-June 2025, driven by warm sea surface temperatures and favorable atmospheric conditions.

Visual Evidence and Further Information

Numerous photos and videos accompany the reports, available through social media links and MeteoNetwork archives, providing valuable visual confirmation of the events.

Summary: Over a three-day period in June 2025, southern Italy experienced an unusual concentration of tornadoes and waterspouts, ranging from dramatic multiple waterspouts near Cefalù to a damaging landfall tornado near Carlentini. This underscores the Mediterranean’s vulnerability to severe localized storms and the importance of ongoing storm monitoring and reporting efforts in the region.