Local people made over 30 requests for help to the emergency services.
There were no reports of anyone being unaccounted for at the time of writing.
Firefighters rescued a number of motorists trapped in their cars by the floods in the town of Aci Sant’Antonio.
Another person was saved by the emergency services after their home was flooded in Acireale.
The fire brigade used an amphibious vehicle in Altarello to rescue four people, included two people with disabilities, after the ground floor of a house was flooded by water.
Two cars (the other can be seen in the background) dragged out to sea. (Photo: ANSA)
Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and more intense.
Italy has experienced a long series of such events in recent years.
This year intense heatwaves and extreme droughts have impacted southern regions, with Sicily and Sardinia hit especially severely.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall has led to flooding in Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Marche, prompting the authorities there to declare a state of emergency.
ANSA
