With the approach of the Autonomous and while the Mediterranean is hot, the risk of a Medicane formation seems likely. This meteorological phenomenon denotes a strong storm in the Mediterranean Sea. Explanations.
The sea is overheated. Due to the scorching temperatures of the past few weeks, the water in the Mediterranean Sea is locally hotter than 30°C. A value that is well above normal for the season. This exceptional phenomenon could contribute to the formation of a medicane in the fall.
An extreme phenomenon
The Medicane is a term composed of the English word “hurricane” (hurricane in French) and the word “Mediterranean”. Literally a hurricane in the Mediterranean. Also known as the “Mediterranean subtropical cyclone,” it is not strictly speaking a hurricane. “The phenomenon differs both in size and in intensity. These depressions are smaller than those that form hurricanes. They are also of short duration. The winds rarely reach the strength of a category 1 hurricane,” explained François Gourand, meteorologist at the year 2021 at Meteo France.
“The difference is that the heart of tropical storms is hot, while the heart of medical professionals can be cold,” explains Caroline Jane Muller, CNRS researcher on behalf of the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology, Figaro. With the end of summer, temperatures in the atmosphere begin to fall. The humid and warm air near the sea will then rise and create instability. This is the formation of thunderstorms.
Everything can change before autumn
For a drug to form, the mass of warm, moist air must meet a flow of cold air. However, the warmer the ocean water, the greater the potential intensity of a storm. “It is still too early to predict whether such a phenomenon will occur at the beginning of the school year,” explains the scientist. On the other hand, the risk of drug formation at the end of summer is very present or even “very high”. “We can therefore already, if not medical professionals, predict particularly dangerous rainfall,” confirms Caroline Jane Muller, who is quoted by the newspaper.
However, everything can change before autumn. The Mediterranean Sea still has a chance to cool off. “All it takes is a Mistral or Tramuntana blast to bring the temperature down. A lot can happen between now and the autumn,” said Florence Vaysse, Area Officer for Languedoc and Roussillon at Météo France on 29 July.