The Mediterranean is already capable of creating hurricanes: experts warn climate change could make them more frequent

ORIGIN: https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/

Meteorologists warn that the Mediterranean Sea may already be capable of generating true hurricanes due to climate change. We review some of the most recent examples.

Many meteorologists and climatologists suggest that Cyclone Ianos in 2020 was, in every sense, a hurricane… in the Mediterranean.

For decades, the idea of a “Mediterranean hurricane” seemed almost impossible and the Mediterranean was seen as a sea too small and relatively cold to produce cyclones comparable to tropical ones, but that perception has changed radically in recent years.

Storm Daniel in 2023, Jolina in 2026 and especially Ianos in 2020 have shown that the Mediterranean can already generate systems with characteristics very similar to those of a hurricane. Some climatologists call them medicanes, a blend of the words Mediterranean and hurricane.

What Exactly Is a Medicane?

Medicanes are cyclones with some subtropical or tropical traits that form in the Mediterranean. Although they do not usually reach the strength of major Atlantic hurricanes, they do share some of their characteristics, such as the presence of a warm core, an organized spiral structure, heavy rainfall,