On Monday, in Sicily and Calabria alone, emergency services performed over 580 rescues.
Authorities found the body of a 67-year-old man who was swept away by floodwaters on Sunday.
The body was recovered in a citrus grove, far from where he was last seen.
The search for the man’s 54-year-old wife is still ongoing.
The couple reportedly attempted to flee their vehicle when it became inundated with rising water and mud.
An eyewitness was also trapped in his car by flash floods, but was rescued by firefighters.
Schools across Catania, Syracuse, Messina, Agrigento, Enna, Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro and Vibo Valentia were closed on Monday.
Flights and ferries in the region have been cancelled or diverted, and the Mayor of Catania, Salvo Pogliese, has closed parks and cemeteries.
The cyclone has strengthened and has now been classified as a rare Mediterranean hurricane, known as “Medicane”, with winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour predicted over the coming days.
On Sunday, almost 300 millimetres of rain fell near Catania in several hours – nearly half the average yearly rainfall of the area.
The Department for Civil Protection issued a warning on Sunday evening, with the east of Sicily and the south of Calabria placed under red alert.
A red alert predicts likely damage to buildings, infrastructure and crops from extensive flooding.
The alert triggers the automatic closure of schools and the discretionary closure of public institutions in affected areas.
Other towns in Sicily and Calabria, along with parts of Basilicata, have been placed under orange alert, which warns citizens of heavy rainfall, landslides and flood risks.
Much of the south-eastern region of Puglia is on yellow alert, which signifies oncoming heavy, potentially dangerous rainfall.
The damaging weather is expected to last until the middle of the week, and it is predicted that the hurricane will travel further north, downgrading into heavy storms, due to a developing weather disturbance in the Atlantic ocean.
