Cyclone Zorbas, or Medicane Zorbas, was the first officially documented

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 ...

, or medicane, since

Cyclone Numa Cyclone Numa, also known as Medicane Numa, was a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone with the properties of a subtropical cyclone. Numa formed on 11 November 2017 west of the British Isles, out of the extratropical remnants of Tropical Storm ...

in 2017. Zorbas originated as an

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...

in the eastern

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. Warm

sea surface temperatures Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masse ...

allowed the system to quickly deepen and transition into a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. Zorbas intensified as it headed northward towards

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, finally reaching its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of on September 29. Heavy rain and

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing from Zorbas killed 5 people in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. One person was killed and two were declared missing in Greece. The storm was estimated to have caused millions of dollars (2018

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

) in damages.

Meteorological history

A first outlook about the possible development of a shallow warm-core cyclone in the Mediterranean was issued by

ESTOFEX The European Storm Forecast Experiment, known as ESTOFEX, is an initiative of a team of European meteorologists, and students in meteorology founded in 2002. It serves as a platform for exchange of knowledge about forecasting severe convective sto ...

on 25 September 2018, and a second extended outlook was issued on 26 September 2018. On 27 September 2018, an extratropical storm developed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Water temperatures of around supported the storm's transition into a hybrid cyclone, with a warm thermal core in the center. The storm moved northeastward toward Greece, gradually intensifying and developing characteristics of a tropical cyclone. On September 29, the storm made landfall at peak intensity in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

, west of

Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia reg ...

, where a minimum central pressure of was reported. ESTOFEX reported on Zorbas as "Mediterranean Cyclone 2018M02", with the same pressure of at Kalamata, further estimating the minimum central pressure of the cyclone to be , with one-minute maximum sustained winds of and a Dvorak number of T4.0, which all translate into marginal Category 1 hurricane characteristics for the cyclone. Early on 1 October, Zorbas emerged into the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

, while accelerating northeastward. On 2 October, Zorbas moved over northwestern

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 ...

and dissipated. A cold wake was observed in the Mediterranean Sea, with sea surface temperatures dropping along the track of Zorbas due to strong

upwelling Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water from deep water towards the ocean surface. It replaces the warmer and usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The nutr ...

. It is unknown who named the system ''Zorbas'', but the name is officially recognized for a ''medicane'' by the

Deutscher Wetterdienst The () or DWD for short, is the German Meteorological Service, based in Offenbach am Main, Germany, which monitors weather and meteorological conditions over Germany and provides weather services for the general public and for nautical, avia ...

Effects

Greece

An indoor basketball stadium in Artemida,

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean Se ...

, sustained damage to its roof during the storm, forcing the postponement of a game. The neighborhoods surrounding the Profitis Ilias in

Mikri Mantineia Mikri Mantineia ( el, Μικρή Μαντίνεια) is a seaside village in the municipality of Kalamata, Messenia, Greece. In 2011, it had a population of 705. It is situated at 20 m above sea level, on the northeastern shore of the Gulf of Mess ...

were left without electricity for over 20 days after extensive damage occurred to the power grid. Strong waves damaged seaside businesses and flooded streets in

Messinia Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...

. Traffic along coastal roads from Kalamata to Filoxenia ceased during the storm. In Navarinou, floodwaters swept chairs, tables, and umbrellas from beach vendors onto roads. In Methoni, a coastal highway and boats were damaged by high surf. Power outages occurred in Methoni,

Koroni Koroni or Corone ( el, Κορώνη) is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos ...

and Finikounda; crews worked to restore electricity on 29 September. Electricity was cut in

West Mani West Mani ( el, Δυτική Μάνη - ''Dytiki Mani'') is a municipality in the Messenia regional unit, Peloponnese, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Kardamyli. The municipality has an area of 402.809 km2. It comprises the northw ...

and

Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

. The coastal village of

Kiveri Kiveri ( el, Κιβέρι) is a small village in the municipal unit of Lerna, Argolis, Greece. It is situated on the bay of Argos across from the tourist center of Nafplio. It has a population of approximately 1000. According to legend it was f ...

Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( el, Αργολίδα , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula and part of the tri ...

, suffered severe damage as a result of strong waves from the storm and floodwaters from the overflowing Oxovrio river. A pier in the village's port suffered damage, and multiple ships sank there. Units from the

Argos-Mykines Argos-Mykines ( el, Άργος-Μυκήνες) is a municipality in the Argolis regional unit, Peloponnese, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the city of Argos. The municipality has an area of 1002.508 km2. The mayor is Dimitris Kamposos, w ...

municipality were dispatched to repair damage and clean up mud and debris that had been swept into the village. Several vessels sank offshore of Myloi. Severe agricultural losses occurred in the village of Skafidaki, with olives, pomegranates, oranges, and mandarins being the worst impacted. OSE lines in Mylos and Kiveri were damaged. Roadways were damaged throughout the municipality. The second floor of the Salamina Health Center flooded in Salamina city on

Salamis Island Salamis ( ; el, Σαλαμίνα, Salamína; grc, label=Ancient and Katharevousa, Σαλαμίς, Salamís) is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about off-coast from Piraeus and about west of central Athens. The chief city, Sala ...

after heavy rainfall entered through the roof and walls. Furniture, medical tools, and other items were floating in the floodwaters. Schools were closed in

Karystos Karystos ( el, Κάρυστος) or Carystus is a small coastal town on the Greece, Greek island of Euboea. It has about 5,000 inhabitants (12,000 in the municipality). It lies 129 km south of Chalkis. From Athens it is accessible by ferry ...

on 27 September. The Evripos bridge was closed on 26 September, and the Eretria-Oropos ferry was halted. On the island of

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

, two elderly people and a 27-year-old man went missing during the storm. Restaurants and houses were damaged by floodwaters. Firefighters answered at least 534 calls for assistance. One couple was washed away by a water current, however, they were rescued by firefighters. The

was placed under a state of emergency.

Elsewhere

During its formative stages, the storm caused flash flooding in Tunisia and Libya. The Tunisian government pledged financial assistance to residents whose homes were damaged.

References

External links