Unprecedented storm impact in the Mediterranean revealed by models and seismic noise during Cyclone Harry
Abstract
Between 19 and 22 January 2026, the extratropical Cyclone Harry generated the highest individual wave height ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, causing widespread coastal flooding and erosion across the central basin. Here we combine oceanographic and meteorological observations, high-resolution morphodynamic datasets, hydrodynamic modelling, and regional microseism analysis to show that Harry produced the most severe coastal impacts of any Mediterranean cyclone in recent decades. Process-based XBeach and HEC-RAS simulations across 19 coastal sites in Sardinia, Malta, Sicily, and Calabria reveal unprecedented inundation extents strongly modulated by local geomorphology, with submarine canyons, buried palaeo-channels, and urban infrastructure amplifying wave setup and inland flooding. Concurrently, broadband seismic records from 55 Mediterranean stations show exceptional secondary microseism amplification, with Ionian stations reaching the highest amplitudes since the beginning of seismic recordings in 1990. Harry’s Microseism Reduced Amplitude exceeded previous storms and Mediterranean cyclones by more than fourfold, highlighting escalating coastal risk under climate-driven cyclone intensification.
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BibTeX
@article{scardino2026unprecedented,
title = {{Unprecedented storm impact in the Mediterranean revealed by models and seismic noise during Cyclone Harry}},
author = {Giovanni Scardino and Alfio Marco Borzì and Tommaso Alberti and Marco Anzidei and Salvatore Aronica and Richard C. Aster and Andrea Cannata and Flavio Cannavò and Fulvio Capodici and Giuseppe Ciraolo and Emanuele Colica and Sebastiano D’Amico and Johannes de Leeuw and Raphael De Plaen and Ignazio Fontana and Adam Gauci and Alok Kushabaha and Thomas Lecocq and Carlo Lo Re and Giorgio Manno and Daniele Mastrangelo and Alfred Micallef and Mario Marcello Miglietta and Carmelo Monaco and Gabriele Nardone and Pietro Scala and Federico Siciliano and Natalia Zazulie and Francesco Panzera and Giovanni Scicchitano},
journal = {Communications Earth \& Environment},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-04187-3},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-04187-3},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Unprecedented storm impact in the Mediterranean revealed by models and seismic noise during Cyclone Harry
AU - Giovanni Scardino
AU - Alfio Marco Borzì
AU - Tommaso Alberti
AU - Marco Anzidei
AU - Salvatore Aronica
AU - Richard C. Aster
AU - Andrea Cannata
AU - Flavio Cannavò
AU - Fulvio Capodici
AU - Giuseppe Ciraolo
AU - Emanuele Colica
AU - Sebastiano D’Amico
AU - Johannes de Leeuw
AU - Raphael De Plaen
AU - Ignazio Fontana
AU - Adam Gauci
AU - Alok Kushabaha
AU - Thomas Lecocq
AU - Carlo Lo Re
AU - Giorgio Manno
AU - Daniele Mastrangelo
AU - Alfred Micallef
AU - Mario Marcello Miglietta
AU - Carmelo Monaco
AU - Gabriele Nardone
AU - Pietro Scala
AU - Federico Siciliano
AU - Natalia Zazulie
AU - Francesco Panzera
AU - Giovanni Scicchitano
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Communications Earth & Environment
DO - 10.1038/s43247-026-04187-3
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-04187-3
AB - Between 19 and 22 January 2026, the extratropical Cyclone Harry generated the highest individual wave height ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, causing widespread coastal flooding and erosion across the central basin. Here we combine oceanographic and meteorological observations, high-resolution morphodynamic datasets, hydrodynamic modelling, and regional microseism analysis to show that Harry produced the most severe coastal impacts of any Mediterranean cyclone in recent decades. Process-based XBeach and HEC-RAS simulations across 19 coastal sites in Sardinia, Malta, Sicily, and Calabria reveal unprecedented inundation extents strongly modulated by local geomorphology, with submarine canyons, buried palaeo-channels, and urban infrastructure amplifying wave setup and inland flooding. Concurrently, broadband seismic records from 55 Mediterranean stations show exceptional secondary microseism amplification, with Ionian stations reaching the highest amplitudes since the beginning of seismic recordings in 1990. Harry’s Microseism Reduced Amplitude exceeded previous storms and Mediterranean cyclones by more than fourfold, highlighting escalating coastal risk under climate-driven cyclone intensification.
SN - 2662-4435
ER -