The Mediterranean sea is capable of generating hurricanes and climate change will make them worse

Tropical-like cyclone Ianos crosses the Ionian Sea and approaches Greece on September 17, 2020. contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2020), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA

In March 2026, a tropical-like cyclone named ‘Jolina’ produced significant damage across North Africa. In 2020 and 2023, storms Ianos and Daniel both caused severe damage in Greece, and the latter triggered a humanitarian disaster in the city of Derna, Libya, where thousands were declared dead or missing.

These tropical-like cyclones occur in a non-tropical region. They are known as “medicanes” – a portmanteau of Mediterranean and hurricanes.