 Ianos at its record peak intensity, nearing landfall in Greece on 17 September. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 14 September 2020 |
| Dissipated | 21 September 2020 |
| Category 2-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS) | |
| Highest winds | 155 km/h (100 mph) |
| Highest gusts | 195 km/h (120 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 985 hPa (mbar); 29.09 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Missing | 1 (presumed dead) |
| Damage | ≥ $100 million (2020 USD)[1] ≥ €164 million (2020 Euro) |
| Areas affected | Libya, Italy, Malta, Greece, Crete, Cyrenaica |
Cyclone Ianos, also known as Medicane Ianos, was a rare medicane that impacted the eastern Mediterranean on 17 and 18 September 2020, especially Greece. Ianos developed from an area of low pressure over the Gulf of Sidra that quickly began tropical cyclogenesis while moving over warm waters. After receiving various names from different meteorological centers, the storm, dubbed Ianos by the METEO unit of the National Observatory of Athens,[2] rapidly intensified while moving northeastward. After scraping Italy, the storm went on to strike Malta and Crete with tropical storm-force winds. Despite land interaction, the small cyclone reached its peak intensity of 159 km/h (99 mph) with wind gusts up to 195 km/h (121 mph) on 18 September,[3] equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale, immediately before making landfall in southwestern Greece. After landfall, Ianos turned back out to sea and moved south-southeastward, before dissipating on 21 September.
Damage was severe in Greece, with cities in the central part of the country getting the brunt of the storm's impacts. Cities such as Karditsa and Mouzaki were flooded for several days. Heavy agricultural damage was reported in rural areas north of Athens. A state of emergency was declared for the islands of Ithaca, Kefalonia, and Zakynthos. Four people were killed, and one person remains missing.[4][5] Ianos caused at least $100 million (2020 USD) in damages.[1]
- ^ a b "Global Catastrophe Recap - September 2020" (PDF). Aon Benfield. 8 October 2020. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "Ονοματοδοσία χαμηλών βαρομετρικών / διαταραχών" [Naming barometric lows / disturbances] (in Greek). National Observatory of Athens. 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Lagouvardos, K.; Karagiannidis, A.; Dafis, S.; Kalimeris, A.; Kotroni, V. (28 September 2021). "Ianos - A hurricane in the Mediterranean". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 102 (9). American Meteorological Society: E1621–E1636. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0274.1. S2CID 244187015.
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