Medicane

Mediterranean tropical-like storms (the “medicane” term has been proposed for these storms) evolve under significantly different environmental conditions compared with the tropical ones.

The methodology is presently transferred to the analysis and projection of North Pacific polar low statistics and that of medicanes, vigorous below synopticscale cyclones in the Mediterranean (The word medicane is a hybrid of Mediterranean and hurricane).

Thus, it is essential to study medicanes and calibrate the numerical weather prediction models in order to simulate them adequately.

After pounding parts of western and central Greece meteorologists have predicted a rare Mediterranean hurricane-like storm, or medicane, is headed south towards the island of Crete.

The flash flood that has killed thousands of people in Libya this week followed a “medicane”, a rare but destructive weather phenomenon that scientists believe will intensify in a warming world.