Cyclone Apollo
Cyclone Apollo, also known as Medicane Nearchus, was a powerful Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone that affected many countries on the Mediterranean coast, especially Italy, in 2021.
The storm killed 7 people total, due to flooding from the cyclone, in the countries of Tunisia, Algeria, Malta, and Italy, where the worst of the effects have been felt, especially on the island of Sicily. Damage estimates by the Aon Benfield were set at more than $245 million.
 Cyclone Apollo at peak intensity on 29 October off the eastern coast of Sicily | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 24 October 2021 |
| Dissipated | 2 November 2021 |
| Tropical storm | |
| Highest winds | 100 km/h (65 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 999 hPa (mbar); 29.50 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 7 |
| Damage | >$245 million (2021 USD) |
| Areas affected | Algeria, Tunisia, Italy (especially Sicily), Malta, Libya, Cyprus, Turkey |
Part of the 2021–22 European windstorm season | |
Meteorological history
Around 22 October 2021, an area of organized thunderstorms formed near the Balearic Islands, with the disturbance becoming more organized and developing an area of low pressure around 24 October. On the next day, the low started to develop a low-level circulation center, and moved into the Tyrrhenian Sea. On 28 October, the system organized even further and intensified, which prompted forecast offices in Europe to name the low. Italy's "Servizio Meteorologico" named the storm Apollo (which was then adopted by the Free University of Berlin), while Greece named the storm Nearchus. On 29 October 2021, a ship in the Mediterranean Sea passed through Apollo and measured a peak wind speed of 104 km/h (65 mph) and a pressure of 999.4 mb (29.51 inHg), indicating that Apollo was still strengthening. After Apollo made its closest approach to Sicily during the overnight hours of 29 October, Apollo appeared to have begun to weaken as its convection waned and its low-level circulation became exposed on visible satellite imagery on 30 October 2021. On 31 October 2021, Apollo made landfall near Bayda and stayed inland until emerging over the Mediterranean a few hours later. On 2 November 2021, Apollo dissipated inland over Turkey.
Preparations and impact
Heavy rain from the cyclone and its precursor caused heavy rainfall and flooding in Tunisia, Algeria, Southern Italy, and Malta, killing 7 people total. The flooding was especially severe in the provinces of Catania and Siracusa, in Eastern Sicily.
Aftermath and naming
Some names for the cyclone include the most commonly-used one, Apollo, which was used by Italy, which used it from its naming list for the 2021-22 windstorm season, and was also used by the Free University of Berlin. The agency Meteo Greece named the system Nearchus, after the voyager of the same name.
See also
- Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone
- Tropical cyclones in 2021
- Tropical cyclones and climate change
- Cyclone Ianos – A powerful Medicane which effected similar areas a year prior
- Cyclone Zorbas – Another powerful medicane which also developed in the same region in 2018
References
External links
This article uses material from the Wikipedia English article Cyclone Apollo, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license ("CC BY-SA 3.0"); additional terms may apply (view authors). Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
®Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wiki Foundation, Inc. Wiki English (DUHOCTRUNGQUOC.VN) is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wiki Foundation.