Hurricane Medicane hits football matches before hitting Turkey İZMİR All football games of the amateur league in the western Turkish province of İzmir have been canceled ahead of the expected landfall of Medicane, the first hurricane in Turkey’s modern history. İzmir Amateur Sports Federation said in a statement on Sept. 28 that the games were canceled with the approval of the Turkish Football Federation due to weather reports warning of “extremely negative conditions.” A tropical storm formed in the Central Mediterranean is expected to gain strength and move east in the coming days, the state-run Meteorological General Directorate said in a statement on Sept. 27. Dubbed “Medicane” as a combination of the words “Mediterranean” and “hurricane,” the system is expected to bring winds as fast as 180 kilometers per hour when landfalling in Greece. If it will directly hit Turkey instead of landfalling in Greece, the hurricane can devastate the Turkish coasts from the provinces of İzmir to Antalya with some 125 kilograms of rainfall per square meter. It will be the first hurricane in Turkey’s modern history and only around a dozen of them have been recorded in the past centuries.<doc-sep>Football matches canceled as hurricane expected to hit Turkey’s west İZMİR All football games of the amateur league in the western Turkish province of İzmir have been canceled ahead of the expected landfall of Medicane, the first hurricane in Turkey’s modern history. İzmir Amateur Sports Federation said in a statement on Sept. 28 that the games were canceled with the approval of the Turkish Football Federation due to weather reports warning of “extremely negative conditions.” A tropical storm formed in the Central Mediterranean is expected to gain strength and move east in the coming days, the state-run Meteorological General Directorate said in a statement on Sept. 27. Dubbed “Medicane” as a combination of the words “Mediterranean” and “hurricane,” the system is expected to bring winds as fast as 180 kilometers per hour when landfalling in Greece. If it will directly hit Turkey instead of landfalling in Greece, the hurricane can devastate the Turkish coasts from the provinces of İzmir to Antalya with some 125 kilograms of rainfall per square meter. It will be the first hurricane in Turkey’s modern history and only around a dozen of them have been recorded in the past centuries.<doc-sep>Medicane: HEAVY rain to hit Europe during hurricane top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Medicane – meaning Mediterranean hurricane – has similar qualities of hurricanes and typhoons and has already caused flash flooding across Tunisia and Libya over the past few days. It has now moved north to the Mediterranean and towards Europe. The storm will cause the sea to pick up more tropical-like features normally associated with hurricanes. These include gale-force winds and even an eye in its centre. Areas of Greece and Turkey will be hit with heavy rains and very strong winds. The system is expected to move slowly over Crete and southern Greece on Saturday before picking up speed and heading into western Turkey on Saturday. Slow moving storms heighten the risk of dangerous flooding, with devastation caused in the US early this year as hurricanes Harvey and Florence creeped through eastern states. On Crete and other souther Greek islands, just four to six inches of rain could fall and lead to flash flooding. Around 1-2 Medicane occur per year Greece and Turkey will be hit with heavy rains and very strong winds BBC Weather: UK to brace for ‘close to freezing’ temperatures Other cities such as Kalamata in Greece and Izmir in Turkey could see two to three inches of rain. But fortunately the Medicane will likely get absorbed into the upper-level jet streat and will not linger over southeastern Europe. This will limit the amount of flooding from the storm. The powerful storms usually happen during September and October<doc-sep>(CNN) — People in Greece and Turkey are bracing themselves for a rare and powerful hurricane-type storm in southern Europe’s Mediterranean region, due to hit this weekend. The storm, often called a “Medicane” (Mediterranean + hurricane) has features similar to hurricanes and typhoons. Spectacular visible satellite animation of #Medicane in the Ionian sea right now, it continues organizing and deepening while moving north. Pressure at 994 mbar, sustained winds around 100 km/h. Source: @meteociel Forecast track details: https://t.co/LvjXFASDeM pic.twitter.com/SJ62FsMzPX — severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) September 28, 2018 According to a study published in 2011, only about 1-2 “Medicanes” occur per year. These powerful storms usually happen during the months of September and October, when sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are still quite warm, although they can occur at any time of year. The current storm, called Zorba, triggered flash flooding across Tunisia and Libya over the past few days before moving north over the Mediterranean towards Europe. Ayhan Mehmet/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images A man walks alongside the Rafina Port during heavy storm in Athens, Greece on September 28. Over the sea, the storm is likely to pick up more tropical-like features normally associated with hurricanes, such as gale-force winds and even an eye in its center. The area currently most under threat are the Ionian islands on Greece’s western coast where the Hellenic National Meterological Office has put out a severe warning. The system is expected to move slowly over the island of Crete and southern Greece on Saturday before picking up speed and heading into western Turkey on Sunday. On Crete and other southern islands of Greece, as much as 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150 millimeters) of rain could fall, which could lead to flash flooding. Cities like Izmir, Turkey, and Kalamata, Greece, could see 2 to 3 inches (50 to 60 milllimeters). That is cause for concern in the Aegean islands, including Lesbos, where thousands of refugees, many from Syria and Iraq, are being held in crowded conditions. Also under threat is the coastal area east of Athens recently devastated by the worst fires on record that killed 99 people. Petros Giannakouris/AP Waves crash on rocks near the port town of Lavrio south of Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 27 A number of ferry services connecting Athens to the islands, were not allowed to operate for the last two days but have now largely resumed. Many flights were also grounded due to the strong winds. Schools in Athens remained closed Friday for precautionary reasons after the gale force winds knocked out power lines in several Greater Athens areas while a felled tree destroyed the roof of a school in western Athens. Civil protection services will be on alert throughout the weekend, the government said. Civilians have been advised to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel. Thanassis Stavrakis/AP A car drives through seawater from crashing waves on the road during bad weather at the port of Rafina, east of Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 27 Fortunately, the Medicane will likely get absorbed into the upper-level jet stream and will not linger over southeastern Europe, which will limit the amount of flooding from the storm. Recent major systems such as hurricanes Harvey and Florence produced catastrophic flooding because of their slow-moving nature. CNN’s Judson Jones also contributed to this story<doc-sep>
Turkey braces for Medicane, first hurricane in its modern history ISTANBUL This file photo shows lightning striking over sunlit rocky island during thunderstorm on Aegean Sea near Marmaris, Turkey. Photo: Aygul Sarvarova / Alamy Turkey is bracing for the first hurricane in its modern history, expected to hit its western coasts on Sept. 30. A tropical storm formed in the Central Mediterranean is expected to gain strength and move east in the coming days, the state-run Meteorological General Directorate said in a statement on Sept. 27. Dr. Murat Gündüz, an academic from Dokuz Eylül University (DEU) in the western Turkish province of İzmir told local media the storm is expected to turn into a hurricane on Sept. 28 before hitting Greece and Turkey on the weekend. Dubbed “Medicane” as a combination of the words “Mediterranean” and “hurricane,” the system is expected to bring winds as fast as 180 kilometers per hour when landfalling in Greece. After slowing down to 75-120 km per hour on the Greek mainland, the hurricane is expected to hit Turkey’s western coasts, bringing 75 kilograms of rainfall per square meter. “It will arrive in İzmir on Sept. 30 evening or the morning of Oct. 1. Our predictive models suggest Turkish coasts from the south of İzmir to Antalya will be affected,” Gündüz said, stressing that a Mediterranean hurricane is “a very rare phenomenon.” It will be the first hurricane in Turkey’s modern history and only around a dozen of them have been recorded in past centuries. “European countries around the Mediterranean have no official agencies to monitor hurricanes. It is expected we will see more of them in the future due to climate change and we need centers to monitor them,” said Gündüz. “There is no need for fear or anxiety but we should take precautions,” he said.