Over two feet of rain in Italy sets new European record amid extreme climate conditions

In a first, breaking a European record, more than 29 inches of rain, which is nearly two and a half feet, fell in a time span of 12 hours in Italy this week.

On Monday, a series of storms were seen in northwestern Italy, unleashing rainfall rates never before in entire Europe. Also, in

Oman, a rare tropical cyclone poured worth of rainfall, bringing deadly floods to the desert landscape that rarely experiences rain.

The commune of Rossiglione in Genoa, Liguria, was among the worst affected with the record deluge of 29.2in of rain on Monday. Usually, the region gets about 50 inches of rain in an entire year.

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Red alerts were issued across the regions of Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy.

Katia Piccardo, mayor of Rossiglione, warned of a "very dangerous situation" as heavy rain took over the region.

"I'm back from the last inspection now. In these 72 endless hours, the hours of sleep can be counted on the fingers of one hand and interrupted by a thousand thoughts for my fellow citizens, for my land. We have a myriad of disasters and open fronts," she said.

In Cairo Montenotte, about 20 miles west of Rossiglione, a record 19.5 inches of rain fell in just six hours. The previous record was 18.5 inches.

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As a result of excessive rains, several rivers broke their banks. 

The Erro flooded areas of Pontinvrea, the Bormida river overflowed in Cairo Montenotte. Also, the Letimbro caused flooding in the city of Savona.