A rare Mediterranean cyclone began to rake western Greece with heavy rains on Thursday and was expected to slam into the country in full force on Friday, with hurricane-force wind and life-threatening flooding in some places, forecasters said. Cyclone Ianos is an example of what meteorologists sometimes call a Medicane — a powerful type of storm all but unknown until the 1990s. It has been seen more often as the atmosphere and sea warm. Greece’s National Meteorological Service issued an unusual bulletin warning of extraordinary danger for southern portions of the country’s mainland — a region known for its mild weather — beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing into Saturday. Forecasters warned that a foot or more of rain could fall in places.

Source: New York Times September 17, 2020 23:15 UTC