Climate change is causing an increase in both the occurrence and the frequency of meteorological phenomena of extraordinary range. This means that various phenomena such as tornadoes and hurricanes will occur with a greater frequency that will trigger disasters, droughts with longer duration and floods with a greater impact. Today we are going to talk about what a medication and where it is being formed. It is a pseudo-hurricane that is forming in the Mediterranean Sea and is targeting Greece.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about what a medicane is and what effects it will have.
what is a medicine
The word medicane comes from the English Mediterranean hurricane. It means hurricane of the Mediterranean. However, it is not a hurricane itself, but it can still have very similar effects. The autumn season is the ideal one for their formation since there are favorable environmental conditions for this to happen.
Greece is the target of the medicane and is preparing to receive the force of a tropical storm that will weaken, affecting the western Ionian Islands. This storm has been named Ianos and is characterized primarily by hurricane-force winds and heavy rains that can trigger flooding. The wind speed can cause power outages in certain areas where the winds are strongest. Some stronger wind gusts are expected. They will have speeds of 200 km/h. Regarding rainfall, quantities of between 200 and 400 liters per square meter are expected in a few hours.
Ideally, people who are closest to rivers and streams should look for alternative accommodation to avoid suffering the consequences of possible floods. On the other hand, the rest of the citizens should limit unnecessary trips to avoid causing major accidents. The Ianos medicane is considered a tropical storm and similar to a hurricane. However, it has a similar intensity, extent, and duration to a real hurricane. Although scientists try to predict its intensity as much as possible, the course of this cycle cannot be predicted with complete precision.
Most frequent extreme weather events
As we have mentioned in numerous articles, the frequency and intensity of phenomena with extraordinary rank will become increasingly frequent. because of the effects of climate change. For a hurricane to form, tropical waters are needed, so the water production will be quite high, and the formation of these cyclones is influenced by the formation of clouds. The rise in Mediterranean Sea temperatures is primarily due to global warming. This increase in average global temperatures will cause differences in weather patterns. This will lead to a greater number of extreme weather events, and with greater intensity than we are used to.
It is not the first time that there has been a medicane in this area. In 1995 these cyclones appeared for the first time in Greece. However, it is known that due to climate change, these weather phenomena have become increasingly frequent in recent years. A similar storm hit Greece in 2018. Flash floods were observed there, claiming the lives of 25 people and leaving hundreds more homeless. These storms are called medicane, an abbreviation for Mediterranean hurricane.
Ianos is expected to hit in two waves. The first is usually the most powerful and carries moisture. The second is more like an aftershock of an earthquake. Seven regions in western Greece have been placed on high alert ahead of the storm. Authorities will later decide whether to put the wider region of Athens, Attica, and Corinth on alert.
Conditions of formation of the medicane
For a tropical cyclone to develop, a temperate sea with low shear and a relatively humid environment is required. We know that the Mediterranean Sea, given its latitude and geographic location, is not ideal for the formation of this type of weather system. However, if certain conditions occur, especially at this time of year, these conditions can be necessary for the development of a subtropical cyclone. These cyclones are a hybrid between tropical and non-tropical cyclones.
In the case of Ianos there is a weak pocket of cold air at height. Due to the low surface topography, these conditions have been able to initiate a convection process. Through this process, a cyclone gradually forms, acquiring tropical cyclone characteristics. We mentioned earlier, It is not the first time that cyclones of this type have formed in this region. They are usually produced an average of 1 or 2 a year and are usually called medicanes.
Given the intensity and training conditions of Ianos, this is going to be a special medicane.
How is a hurricane formed
For a hurricane to form, there must be a large mass of warm and humid air (normally tropical air has these characteristics). This warm and humid air is used by the hurricane as fuel, from there to that they are formed, normally, near the Equator.
The air rises from the surface of the oceans, leaving the lowest area with less air. This creates a zone of low atmospheric pressure near the ocean, since there is less air per unit volume.
In the global circulation of air throughout the planet, air masses move from where there is more air to where there is less, that is, from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. As the air around the area left with low pressure moves to fill that "gap," it also heats up and rises. As the warm air continues to rise, the surrounding air rotates to take its place. When the air that is rising cools, being humid it forms clouds. As this cycle continues, the entire cloud and air system rotates and grows, fueled by ocean heat and the water that evaporates from the surface.
All these environmental conditions are giving cause of global warming of climate change.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about what medicane is and what its effects are.