Heavy rains and bad weather, concentrated in some months of the year but especially in some areas of Sardinia, as happened with the last flood of October 26 and 27. Phenomena so violent that the findings of the Arpas meteorological department now hypothesize the existence of a rare phenomenon , even if increasingly recurring : the Basso Campidano Cloudburst . It brought to its knees - less than a month ago - a good part of the Island, once again struggling with tons of mud, flooded rivers and collapsed bridges.
Vallermosa, in those hours of uncertainty and fear for the consequences of the rain, was the Municipality where the rain gauge recorded the highest numbers, with cumulative hourly rainfall reaching 60 millimeters and an overall event value of about 292, most of which in six hours. Figures that make you think, considering that the average cumulative rainfall for October is 54.4 millimeters and the annual average is 555.8. Translated: in a few hours it rained five times more than the average for a month. On the podium, after Vallermosa, are Carbonia and Sardara, with 97.2 and 96.8 millimeters. After the boom, the fury of the bad weather began to lose strength just before two, weakening.
Now that the alarm has been called off, meteorologists are now taking stock of the data collected, drawing conclusions and finding analogies between the latest flood and the previous ones . It has been discovered that, in addition to recurring in the months of October and November, the phenomena have a structure that from the satellite appears to be extensive and that affects a large part of Southern Sardinia, with the main maximum rainfall located west of Cagliari. The four most recent events (the only ones that have occurred since the Region was equipped with a telemetry network) were those of 13 November 1999 (maximum in Decimomannu); 10 October 2008 (maximum in Capoterra); 22 October 2018 (maximum in Uta-Santa Lucia); 27 November 2024 (maximum in Vallermosa). There are some historical events characterized by similar rainfall, but which occurred in a period in which measurements were only taken mechanically: 7 October 1929 (maximum in Vallermosa); November 23, 1961 (maximum in Uta); November 8, 1983 (maximum in Villacidro-Montimannu).
The event of the 26th and 27th, as stated in the Arpas report, "seems to be traced back to a rare but recurring phenomenon. The strong impact that each event has had on the territory makes it particularly insidious and requires further study".