This question & answer was written by the 1 ° C class of the E. Stami di Nuoro scientific and linguistic high school for Evidence Network Academy.
A medicane is a cyclone that is formed in the Mediterranean Sea but is similar to a tropical hurricane: it has a central “eye”, very strong winds and can cause torrential rains, floods and important damage. The name was born from the merger of “Mediterranean” and “Hurricane”. The “medicanes” are rare, but with climate change, the Mediterranean is heating more and more, and these conditions favor their training. They usually arrive in the autumn, when the waters of the sea are still hot and meet cold air masses. And the contrast generates their training.
Devastating impact. Today they are not yet comparable to the real Atlantic hurricanes, but their impact can still be devastating, especially in fragile areas and not prepared the most affected areas are Southern Italy (especially Sicily, Calabria and Puglia), Greece, Libya and other North African coasts. One three the strongest was the Medicane Apollo, who in 2021 hardly affected Eastern Sicily. In 2023, however, Daniel caused a catastrophe in Libya. What can we do? We cannot stop them, but we can predict them better with advanced weather systems, strengthen infrastructures in areas at risk.
