00:00Recently, a luxury yacht sank just off the coast of Sicily.
00:03As a result, one man who was aboard was found dead.
00:06Fifteen more were rescued, but six remain missing.
00:09The ship went down due to inclement weather, which experts now say may have been a water
00:13spout or a tornado over water.
00:16Water spouts can reach wind speeds of around 124 miles per hour.
00:20The sinking of the 184-foot-long vessel occurred at night, so meteorologists were unable to
00:25confirm whether or not it was in fact a water spout.
00:28However, they say that type of event is becoming more common, and climate change is to blame.
00:33The president of the Italian Meteorological Society says water spouts and downbursts are
00:38occurring more frequently in the area.
00:41Downbursts are powerful gusts of wind that descend from severe weather systems like thunderstorms.
00:45When they make contact with the ground, they spread out, resulting in winds upwards of
00:50110 miles per hour.
00:52Italy's most recent storm surge comes after weeks of high temperatures, followed by extreme
00:56rainfall that, coupled with warming seas surrounding the Mediterranean country, make
01:00it a hotbed for severe weather.
