A Mediterranean Cyclone – is on course to strike Italy & Greece in the next 24 hours as parts of the country are warned of torrential rainfall and intense winds.The storm often called a “Medicane” (Mediterranean + hurricane) has many features similar to tropical hurricanes and typhoons.
Models show the storm is a small but deep cyclone which was traveling north of Sicily and will intensify throughout the day while moving north.These powerful storms usually happen during the winter months (October – December), when sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are still quite warm, although they can occur at any time of year.
The rainfall will be focused across eastern Sardinia, Sicily as well as over Calabria. The area most under threat are the Ionian islands on Greece’s western coast where the Hellenic National Meteorological Office has put out a severe warning.