(AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras). Greece’s National Meteorological Service issued an unusual bulletin warning of extraordinary danger for southern portions of the country’s mainland — a region known for its mild weather — beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing into Saturday. Cyclone Ianos is an example of what meteorologists sometimes call a Medicane — a powerful type of storm all but unknown until the 1990s. In their matured stages, Mediterranean tropical cyclones show no difference from other tropical cyclones. Rare Hurricane-Force Mediterranean Cyclone Heads for Greece. (AP Photo/Nikiforos Stamenis). Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. STRONG 'MEDICANE' TAKES AIM AT GREECE, ALERTS ISSUED FOR CYCLONE-LIKE STORM. Historically, the term tropical-like cyclone was coined in the 1980s to unofficially distinguish tropical cyclones developing outside the tropics (like in the Mediterranean Basin) from those developing inside the tropics. A rare Mediterranean cyclone began to rake western Greece with heavy rains on Thursday and was expected to slam into the country in full force on Friday, with hurricane-force wind and life-threatening flooding in some places, forecasters said. The storm's landfall on Friday featured lots of strong winds and sea foam. The high-resolution (1.125° × 1.125° grid) European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts data used in this study proved to be particularly suitable for the detection and tracking techniques and to identify subsynoptic-scale Mediterranean lows, which have often been … This type of storm, dubbed a Medicane, was all but unknown until recent years. According to the agency, these hybrid storms have strong winds spinning around a core with torrential rainfall and also feature an eye that makes them similar to hurricanes. “There is a possibility that a relatively unusual phenomenon, a Mediterranean cyclone or ‘Medicane’, will occur in the south Ionian Sea this Friday,” the National Observatory of Athens meteorological service said on Wednesday. The storm originated as a low pressure system over Libya, moving north and then east over the Mediterranean, brushing southern Italy and gaining power as it drew moisture from waters that have been as warm as 81 degrees in places. The system brought extensive severe weather conditions to southern Greece and western Turkey, producing torrential rainfall and destructive flash floods. All rights reserved. A rare, powerful cyclone slammed into the western Ionian Islands of Greece and other parts of the country on Friday, bringing lashing rain, strong winds and flooding as it tore into the coastline. Market data provided by Factset. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Travis Fedschun is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Legal Statement. Yes, we know in all likelihood that a storm could form any week now in any of the northern hemisphere basins. A view of a flooded cemetery following a storm in the village of Artesiano, in central Greece, September 19. Traditionally, areas of tropical cyclone formation are divided into seven basins.These include the north Atlantic Ocean, the eastern and western parts of the northern Pacific Ocean, the southwestern Pacific, the southwestern and southeastern Indian Oceans, and the northern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal).The western Pacific is the most active and the north Indian the least active. An objective cyclone detection and tracking analysis is performed over an 18-yr period, for the Mediterranean basin. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. "Such intense dust storms over the Mediterranean are most common in spring, so this is clearly early for the season," said Karlsruhe Institute of Technology meteorologist Peter Knippertz. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. At least three people were killed and hundreds have been rescued in Greece after a rare storm system known as a "medicane" spawned severe flooding after making landfall on Friday, according to officials. Zorbas originated as an extratropical cyclone in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Gumballs678 reverted my edit, saying we need to keep the line of "tropical cyclones will form within seven different tropical cyclone basins". The rare phenomenon of a tropical-style cyclone occurs twice a year in the Mediterranean basin. Greece has been hit by several weather-related crises in recent years, from flash floods and snowstorms to extreme heat waves and deadly wildfires. The storm, named Ianos, hit the Ionian islands and western Peloponnese on Friday before lashing the rest of the country on Saturday. Mediterranean tropical cyclone 23 September 1969 0909Z.png 241 × 225; 51 KB Mediterranean tropical cyclone January 28 2009.jpg 4,092 × 3,816; 3.19 MB Mediterranean tropical cyclone October 27 2005.jpg 3,260 × 2,476; 1.17 MB or redistributed. Seawater from crashing waves cover a road at the port of Argostoli, on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, western Greece, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Medicanes are named for a combination of "Mediterranean" and "hurricane" due to their blend of tropical and extratropical cyclone characteristics. It is expected to make landfall in southwestern Greece on Friday. Follow him on Twitter @travfed, National forecast for Sunday, September 20. Waves break on a seaside tavern during a storm at the port of Argostoli, on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, western Greece, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Because Mediterranean storms do not originate in the tropics, meteorologists do not call them tropical storms or hurricanes. Emergency officials have rescued more than 600 people since the storm made landfall. Parts of the stricken area were also without electricity. But Ianos qualifies in all but name, with cyclonic high winds and satellite images showing the characteristic dense wheel of cloud and a well-defined eye. "It is a MEDIterranean hurriCANE which brings high winds and waves and torrential rain and flooding," the WMO tweeted. #Ianos is looking pretty impressive this morning as convection continues to wrap around its center. (AP Photo/Eurokinissi). "We're dealing with a total catastrophe," one resident in Farsala told state television. Cyclone Ianos is a rare storm known as a Mediterranean medicane. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Authorities said Saturday they identified two people killed in floodwaters as an elderly woman was found dead in her flooded home in the region of Thessaly and a 63-year-old shepherd was swept away by rising floodwaters. Market data provided by Factset. By late Thursday, as it crossed the Ionian Sea, it packed tropical storm-force winds and was forecast to reach hurricane force — 75 miles per hour or more — on Friday. "Greece was last hit by a strong medicane in 2018.". Cyclone Zorbas, or Medicane Zorbas, was the first officially documented Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone, or medicane, since Cyclone Numa in 2017. The World Meteorological Organization Tropical Cyclone Programme is tasked to establish national and regionally coordinated systems to ensure that the loss of life and damage caused by tropical cyclones are reduced to a minimum. They also said a woman who is missing ignored instructions by firefighters and police not to drive into an area where a bridge spans a river. 2018-2019 South Atlantic tropical cyclone season (Olo72) 2018–19 Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone season (Olo72) 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season (DELCORE'S HYPO) The medicane or tropical-like cyclone that affected the central Mediterranean, Greece and Turkey over the weekend will certainly go down in history as one of the most extensively covered ones. (AP Photo/Nikiforos Stamenis). CLICK HERE FOR MORE WEATHER COVERAGE FROM FOX NEWS. Water from a river that burst its banks damaged at least two bridges and several buildings, including the local health center in the Thessaly town of Mouzaki, which collapsed. Greece’s train operator, TrainOSE, said service linking southern and northern Greece was suspended due to the storm's impacts. And only tropical cyclones are known to develop into hurrican… The key to tropical cyclone formation in other basins is the depth of warm water available, not just warmth at the surface. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras). This is certainly one of the more convincing cases for a tropical cyclone … All rights reserved. People in Greece and Turkey are bracing themselves for a rare and powerful hurricane-type storm in southern Europe's Mediterranean region, due to hit this weekend. The eastern Mediterranean, extending between 20° and 38°E to include the Ionian, Aegean, and Levantine Seas (see Fig. It has been seen more often as the atmosphere and sea warm. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. An organized cluster of storms formed along the coast of Libya, the Mediterranean Sea this Tuesday morning, Sept 15th. There is a risk of severe gales and 250mm of rain in parts of the Mediterranean where the storm has developed. Legal Statement. These storms are also less intense, with the most severe medicanes only reaching the strength of a Category 1 hurricane. REUTERS/Giannis Floulis 1 Timeline 2 Storms 2.1 Subtropical Disturbance One 2.2 Cyclone Adem 2.3 Subtropical Storm Bianca 3 Season effects A long-tracked disturbance began gaining tropical characteristics when the AU²WS declared it a subtropical disturbance, which would place it on the records. Forecasters warned that a foot or more of rain could fall in places. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Tropical Cyclone Centers and their Regions (click to enlarge) (Image courtesy of the World Meteorological Organization) . The cyclone is expected to make landfall as a powerful storm across southern Greece on Friday, bringing heavy rain, flooding and gusty winds. Residents clean a sheet of glass next to a flooded street after a storm at Karditsa town, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. The Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center named the subtropical cyclone in the South Atlantic Ocean. A man holds drowned poultry near his house at Magoula village, near Karditsa town, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. There is also a potential for severe landfall of this medicane in western Greece on Friday morning. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Some 5,000 homes have been flooded in Karditsa from the storm's heavy rains, where Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to visit in the coming days, Sky News reported. 1), is an area of great interest with respect to cyclone behavior, because of its location between the subtropics and midlatitudes and also its complex topography . According to the Atlantic hurricane best track database, Debbie was still a tropical cyclone as its center brushed western Ireland on Sep. 16, 1961 (plotted above). The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the storm system was a hybrid between a tropical cyclone and a mid-latitude storm. But there are differences, including medicanes typically being smaller than hurricanes and may only exist for 24 to 48 hours. We're … Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. On Sunday, the Athens News Agency reported that a man's body was found under a collapsed roof near Karditsa. "Activity historically peaks between September and January," the WMO said Friday. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. On May 27, the Mediterranean Tropical Cyclone Center issued their first prediction, calling for a well-below average season. Damaged power and telecommunication lines are seen during a storm at the port of Argostoli, on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, western Greece, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. When this happens over the Mediterranean (same latitude and conditions) it is called "tropical Like cyclone" (tlc or medicane); This is incoherent.. The 2019 Mediterranean cyclone season is currently ongoing. Although descriptive of a Mediterranean storm with characteristics of a hurricane, the term “medicane” is not an officially-defined meteorological term. Mediterranean hurricane dubbed 'Medicane' to hit Greek islands. pic.twitter.com/Icqs3XHWLO. The term tropical-like was in no way meant to indicate a hybrid cyclone exhibiting characteristics not usually seen in "true" tropical cyclones. The storm system was a hybrid between a tropical cyclone and a mid-latitude storm ... including the local health center in the Thessaly town of Mouzaki, which collapsed. The atmospheric pressure in the center of Ianos is around 1,000 hPa, while the winds that accompany it, were estimated by satellites at 65 kilometers per hour - that is, about eight on the Beaufort scale. As of Saturday, the country's firefighting service said it received some 2,500 calls from trapped residents in central and western Greece about removing fallen trees that were blocking roads. The disturbance was absorbed into another low the next day. According to Knippertz, the dust storm appeared to be provoked by a cyclone that crossed Africa's Atlas Mountains. Surprisingly, they gave no reason why that the season could be inactive, but they did claim that there would be 9-11 named storms with a below average amount of medicanes and no major medicanes. The Mediterranean cyclone “Ianos” is in the sea area between Sicily and the Peloponnese where it strengthened. 2020 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON IS RUNNING OUT OF NAMES, SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? There are increasing chances we could be seeing a formation of a warm-core cyclone – a medicane (Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone) on Thursday, named Cassilda. A strong Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone called a #Medicane is tracking towards Greece and threatens destructive winds, torrential rainfall and floods. When a tropical cyclone derives from an extratropical cyclone over the Subtropical Atlantic and over cooler water of 20-24 ° C it is called "tropical cyclone" (Vince, Grace, Alex etc). The medical centre of Mouzaki village is seen partially collapsed after a storm, near Karditsa town, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020.  The Mediterranean has been identified as one of the most responsive regions to climate change. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The Mediterranean cyclone is a semi-permanent cyclone that is formed in the western or central basin of the Mediterranean Sea, on the front generated by the penetration of the polar air over the west and center of Europe, at the contact with the tropical warm air … The timing of the storm was also unusual. (AP Photo/Nikiforos Stamenis). 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