The Mediterranean hurricane Ianos has made landfall in Greece. The so-called ‘medicane’ currently affects the Ionian islands off the Greek coast, such as Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos.
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During the storm, wind speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour were measured, according to the Greek authorities. Several flights to Kefalonia had to divert due to the strong wind.
People close to the storm are advised to stay where they are. The Greek Meteorological Service has warned the southern parts of the mainland of extremely dangerous weather that could occur from Thursday afternoon to Saturday.
‘Medicane’
Because Mediterranean storms do not originate in tropical areas, they are not referred to as a tropical storm or hurricane. Yet Ianos is not inferior and there are many similarities. For example, on satellite images it looks like a typical hurricane. In addition, wind speeds from the storm were predicted to reach force 12, or 120 km per hour, on Friday. Wind force 12 is the hurricane threshold.
In 2017, more than 20 people died from a severe storm in Greece.
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