Severe weather in Sardinia: warning for thunderstorms, wind, and storm surges

Sardinia is under alert for a prolonged period of bad weather that will affect much of the island in the coming days.
The Civil Protection Department has issued a severe weather warning, valid from tomorrow evening, Sunday, January 18, until the evening of Wednesday, January 21.

According to the announcement, strong easterly winds are expected across Sardinia starting from the morning of Monday, January 19, with gusts reaching gale force or storm force in the Sulcis and southern Campidano areas, along the eastern coast, in the Strait of Bonifacio, and in Nurra.

Particular attention must also be paid to sea conditions: strong east-southeast swells are expected in the Sardinia Channel and the western Tyrrhenian Sea, with significant waves exceeding 6 metres and average periods exceeding 9 seconds.

The wave motion, combined with strong offshore winds, could cause a significant rise in sea levels along the coasts of the Gulf of Cagliari, the entire eastern side of the island, and the Gulf of Asinara.

The warning also signals widespread precipitation across southern and eastern Sardinia , including showers and thunderstorms, with heavy to very heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday. Locally intense thunderstorms are possible, while these events will be less widespread and less intense in western and northwestern areas.

The wave of bad weather is based on a low-pressure system of Atlantic origin, which will bring intense humid currents from the Sirocco and Levant to a vast area of the central and western Mediterranean.

Given the significant duration of the event, the Civil Protection Department warns that the alert may be updated or modified based on the evolution of meteorological phenomena.