Cyclone Numa
Meteorological history
Meteorological history
----------------------

On 12 November, the [Free University of Berlin](/wiki/Free_University_of_Berlin "Free University of Berlin") named a [low\-pressure system](/wiki/Low-pressure_area "Low-pressure area") over the [British Isles](/wiki/British_Isles "British Isles") *Numa*. Moving southeastward, Numa quickly crossed the southern British Isles, and then France and Italy, before splitting into two low\-pressure centres – Numa I and Numa II – on 13 November. Numa II was the stronger of the two, tracking down the centre of the [Adriatic Sea](/wiki/Adriatic_Sea "Adriatic Sea"), parallel to the Italian coastline and reaching an initial peak intensity of  on that day. By 14 November, low\-pressure centre Numa I had dissipated, and Numa II dominated the system, and the system was referred to simply as "Numa," while it was located in the open Mediterranean, to the west of Greece.

Numa subsequently slowed and turned south, crossing southern Italy and emerging to the north of Sicily, before stalling over the island on 15 November. Clearing Sicily to the southeast on 16 November, Numa began to gain subtropical characteristics, while situated off the west coast of Greece, though by 16 November, the system was still extratropical. Around this time, some computer models forecasted that Numa may soon transition into a warm\-core subtropical or tropical cyclone, which would bring stronger winds and more flash flooding to Greece if this were to occur.

On 17 November, Numa stalled in the [Ionian Sea](/wiki/Ionian_Sea "Ionian Sea") and completely lost its frontal system. On the afternoon of the same day, Météo France [tweeted](/wiki/Twitter "Twitter") that Numa had attained the status of a subtropical Mediterranean depression. According to ESTOFEX, Numa showed numerous  flags of 10\-minute sustained winds in satellite data. During the next several hours, Numa continued to strengthen, before reaching its peak intensity on 18 November. Between 18:00 UTC on 17 November and 5:00 UTC on 18 November, Numa acquired evident [tropical](/wiki/Tropical_cyclone "Tropical cyclone") characteristics; between 22:00 UTC on 17 November and 01:00 UTC on 18 November, Numa began to display a [hurricane](/wiki/Hurricane "Hurricane")\-like structure; ESTOFEX still reported 10\-minute sustained winds of  at about this time. Around the time of Numa's peak, the storm had a clear, well\-defined [eye](/wiki/Eye_%28cyclone%29 "Eye (cyclone)") structure, with the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration") noting an [eyewall](/wiki/Eye_%28cyclone%29 "Eye (cyclone)") similar to that of a hurricane's. Satellite [ASCAT](/wiki/Scatterometer "Scatterometer") indicated that the storm had 1\-minute sustained winds of , equivalent to tropical storm intensity, though the actual winds may have been higher, due to the small diameter of the storm. Later on the same day, Numa made landfall in Greece, producing a storm surge at the Gulf of Patras and damaging wind gusts, before rapidly weakening into a [low\-pressure area](/wiki/Low-pressure_area "Low-pressure area") afterward. Subsequently, the system emerged into the [Aegean Sea](/wiki/Aegean_Sea "Aegean Sea") on 19 November. On 20 November, Numa was absorbed into another extratropical storm approaching from the north.


Did Numa transition into a warm-core subtropical or tropical cyclone?