Greece and Turkey were struck by an unusual storm called Zorba last week. This was a tropical-like cyclone, or TLC, also known by the portmanteau term “Medicane”, a combination of Mediterranean and hurricane.
Such storms generally occur only once or twice a year, as they require very specific conditions to form, including a mass of cold air and atmospheric instability. Medicanes are circular storms, like hurricanes or typhoons, and have a similar structure with a clear eye at their centre. However, to be classed as a hurricane, a storm must form over the Atlantic and have a sustained windspeed of more than 74mph. Medicanes are smaller and less powerful. Zorba’s wind speed of 56mph would make it more equivalent to a miniature tropical storm than a hurricane.
Generally speaking, hurricanes travel from east to west whereas Medicanes go from west to east. Zorba formed over Tunisia where it caused flash floods, killing at least five people, before moving on to Greece.
A 2013 study suggested that climate change will lead to fewer Medicanes in future, because the conditions for forming them will be less common. However, the same study also predicted that there would be more severe storms in the region generally, resulting in greater overall damage.
