Cyclone Apollo, also known as Medicane Nearchus,
was a powerful
Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone
Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones, often referred to as medicanes (a portmanteau of Mediterranean hurricanes) but sometimes also as Mediterranean cyclones or as Mediterranean hurricanes, are meteorological phenomena occasionally observed over ...
that affected many countries on the Mediterranean coast, especially
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, in 2021. The storm killed 7 people total, due to flooding from the cyclone,
in the countries of
Tunisia
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,
Algeria
)
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, capital = Algiers
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,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, and Italy, where the worst of the effects have been felt, especially on the island of
Sicily
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.
Damage estimates by the
Aon Benfield were set at more than $245 million.
Meteorological history
Around 22 October 2021, an area of organized thunderstorms formed near the
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...
, with the disturbance becoming more organized and developing an
area of low pressure
In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...
around 24 October. On the next day, the low started to develop a low-level circulation center, and moved into the
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...
. On 28 October, the system organized even further and intensified, which prompted forecast offices in Europe to name the low. Italy's "
Servizio Meteorologico
The Italian Meteorological Service is an organizational unit of the Italian Air Force (Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), and as such, the national meteorological service in Italy. The weather forecasts and other services serve both ...
" named the storm ''Apollo'' (which was then adopted by the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
),
while Greece named the storm ''Nearchus''.
On 29 October 2021, a ship in the Mediterranean Sea passed through Apollo and measured a peak wind speed of and a pressure of , indicating that Apollo was still strengthening.
After Apollo made its closest approach to Sicily during the overnight hours of 29 October, Apollo appeared to have begun to weaken as its convection waned and its low-level circulation became exposed on visible satellite imagery on 30 October 2021. On 31 October 2021, Apollo made landfall near
Bayda and stayed inland until emerging over the Mediterranean a few hours later. On 2 November 2021, Apollo dissipated inland over
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Preparations and impact
Heavy rain from the cyclone and its precursor caused heavy rainfall and flooding in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
, Southern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, and
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, killing 7 people total.
The flooding was especially severe in the provinces of
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
and
Siracusa, in Eastern
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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.
Aftermath and naming
Some names for the cyclone include the most commonly-used one, ''Apollo'', which was used by Italy, which used it from its naming list for the
2021-22 windstorm season,
and was also used by the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
.
The agency Meteo Greece named the system ''Nearchus'',
after the voyager of the same name.
See also
*
Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone
Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones, often referred to as medicanes (a portmanteau of Mediterranean hurricanes) but sometimes also as Mediterranean cyclones or as Mediterranean hurricanes, are meteorological phenomena occasionally observed over ...
*
Tropical cyclones in 2021
During 2021, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones will be assigned names by various weather agencies if they attain maximum sustained winds of . During the year, one ...
*
Tropical cyclones and climate change
Climate change can affect tropical cyclones in a variety of ways: an intensification of rainfall and wind speed, a decrease in overall frequency, an increase in the frequency of very intense storms and a poleward extension of where the cyclones ...
*
Cyclone Ianos
Cyclone Ianos, also known as Medicane Ianos, was a rare Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (Medicane) that impacted the eastern Mediterranean on 17 and 18 September 2020, especially Greece. Ianos developed from an area of low pressure over the ...
– A powerful Medicane which effected similar areas a year prior
*
Cyclone Zorbas – Another powerful medicane which also developed in the same region in 2018
References
External links
{{Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones
2021 meteorology
2021 in Italy
Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones
October 2021 events in Europe
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
2021 disasters in Europe