Billionaire Mike Lynch's $37 million yacht disaster sparks 'violent' weather warning for tourists

Experts are only beginning to understand the link between climate pollution and waterspouts.

Michael Dahlstrom
·Environment Editor
·2-min read
A waterspout in the Mediterranean in 2018.
Scientists are just beginning to understand the impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of waterspouts, like this one seen in the Mediterranean in 2018. Source: Reuters

The sudden sinking of billionaire Mike Lynch’s yacht by a freak weather event has reminded tourists climate change is creating the “perfect storm” for “violent” weather. In May it was revealed severe turbulence was making air travel more dangerous, and now it seems even the toughest yachts could be at risk.

Reports suggest Monday’s tragedy off Sicily occurred after Lynch's US$25 million ($37 million) yacht, the Bayesian, was struck by a waterspout — a type of tornado that travels above the ocean.

There was little warning when a storm rolled in just before 4am (local time) on Monday. Witnesses reported the vessel vanished in minutes, baffling shipping experts who expected the 56-metre vessel to stay afloat for hours after taking on water.

The Climate Council’s director of research Dr Simon Bradshaw, told Yahoo News scientists are only beginning to understand links between climate pollution and events like water spouts.

“But we can expect that as with other extreme weather events, they are likely to become more intense and destructive,” he said.

Related: Australia prepares to safeguard nation against climate threats

The Bayesian at sea.
Experts were surprised the Bayesian, seen here in a file photo, sank so fast during the storm off Sicily . Picture: Perini Navi Press Office/EPA/AAP

Lynch was on board his family's yacht, with 14 others others off the Italian island of Sicily when the vessel disappeared in deep water. It’s understood he was celebrating his acquittal on fraud charges with those who had supported him.

While most of the passengers were able to escape after the yacht began to sink, six people remain missing including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Mike Lynch smiling in London in front of a black car.
Mike Lynch had been celebrating on his family's yacht when the storm hit. Source: Getty

Before the storm struck, the scorching heat had warmed the sea temperature to record highs which increases the risk of extreme weather events. The sea surface temperature off Sicily was approximately 30 degrees which is around three degrees warmer than average.

"We can't say that this is all due to global warming but we can say that it has an amplifying effect," meteorologist Luca Mercalli told Reuters.

Europe has been inundated by extreme weather events, with the Mediterranean particularly hard hit.

“Climate change is creating a perfect storm for more violent, more destructive weather. Sea temperatures have been at record highs, including in the Mediterranean,” Bradshaw told Yahoo.

“A warmer atmosphere can hold around 7 per cent more water, making our atmosphere wetter and more energetic. We have created a climate that is more dangerous, placing greater risks on us all.

with Reuters

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