Medicane “Zorbas”
Medicane “Zorbas” — as named by Freie Universität Berlin (surface analyses) — developed in the Mediterranean Sea late in the day on 27 September 2018. A toggle between VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP (above; courtesy of William Straka, CIMSS) revealed the well-defined circulation of the storm a few hours after Midnight local time on 28 September. Note the bright streak north of the storm center on the NOAA-20 image — this was an area of clouds illuminated by intense lightning activity. Other less prominent lightning streaks were evident in thunderstorms farther to the east over the Mediterranean Sea. On the Suomi NPP image, a small bright spot could be seen, evidence of minor volcanic activity at Mount Etna on the island of Sicily, as well as the hazy signature of a plume of blowing dust/sand that was moving northward off the coast of Libya. The corresponding VIIRS Infrared images are available here.During the following daylight hours of 28 September, EUMETSAT Meteosat-11 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) images (below) showed the storm as it became better organized and increased intensity. Another dense plume of blowing dust/sand began to move off the coast of Libya late in the day.
Meteosat-11 Visible (0.8 µm) images, with hourly plots of wind barbs (yellow) and wind gusts (red) [click to play animation | MP4]
Meteosat-11 Visible (0.8 µm) images, with hourly plots of wind barbs (yellow) and gusts in knots (red) [click to play animation | MP4]
![MIMIC morphed Total Precipitable Water images, 27-29 September [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/09/comp20180928.090000_tpw.png)
MIMIC morphed Total Precipitable Water images, 27-29 September [click to play animation | MP4]