2001. The storm that brought Liguria to its knees

Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into the world of epic moments in motor boating. We begin with one of the stories we were most passionate about.

The storm has arrived

From Motor Boats 2001, no. 2, February, pp. 90-91.

Even the Mare Nostrum can reserve for us moments when the elements seem to turn on us. What are the warning signs of this phenomenon?

October, November, and December 2000 were characterized by a succession of deep Atlantic depressions over the western coasts of Europe, also affecting the Mediterranean area. One of these depressions generated very heavy conditions causing violent winds from the southern quadrants and storm surges especially on the Ligurian coast.

Genesis of a storm

This was an anomalous situation compared to the characteristic and well-known swells due to the generalized Libeccio. In fact, the strongest wind and waves were coming in those areas from the SSE. The situation over Western Europe is characterized, on November 5, 2000, by a disturbance with a deep 966 hPa ground baric minimum centered to the SW of Ireland moving ESE. As is clear from the synoptic analysis reproduced opposite, released by the Bracknell center, on day 6 the disturbance reaches the English Channel with a 964 hPa ground-level minimum and further rapidly advancing ESEward and a marked sac extending over the NW Mediterranean. The counterclockwise rotation of winds around the depression center, results, particularly on the morning of Nov. 6 over the Ligurian Sea area, in a flow of winds from the S of considerable intensity, the speed of which was reported to be around 45/50 knots (medium wind) with further significant strengthening (around 60 knots). The swell from the same sector can be expressed in the value 6 of the “Douglas Scale of the State of the Sea” (wave heights up to 6 m) although in places this value may have been exceeded. These are in this case visual estimates and not measured data. In addition, analysis of Meteosat imagery shows, relative to the day of November 6, 2000, marked thunderstorm activity over the central-eastern Ligurian area.

The warning signs

In summary, the reasons for the swell and bad weather that hit Liguria, and in particular the ports of Levante Ligure, should be analyzed in relation to the following factors and observations. Increase in the long wave from the S as early as November 5, the day before the storm surge. Barometric drop over the Gulf of Genoa of 20 hPa in 14 hours associated with the deep depression of Atlantic origin. Strong pressure gradient with severe gale to SSW storm conditions over much of the Western Mediterranean. Over the eastern Ligurian Sea, the wave from the S experienced an additional SSE sector thrust due to orographic wind rotation (the wind, offshore from the S, tends to rotate SE over the eastern Ligurian Sea due to the effect of the mountain ranges). Particularly in the Tigullio Gulf area, the characteristic wave refraction effect on the Portofino Promontory occurred. This phenomenon is observed whenever the offshore wave motion coming from the SSW tends to pivot on the Portofino promontory, deviates and takes on an SSE component on the stretch between Portofino and Rapallo. The wave from SSE overtopped the breakwaters of Santa Margherita and Rapallo, generating damage and sinking of boats, so much so that elderly people in the area say they do not remember such a strong SSE swell.

By Gianfranco Meggiorin and Paolo Gemelli

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