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Storm Daniel
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Storm Daniel
Storm Daniel, also known as Cyclone Daniel, was an erratic, weak but catastrophic tropical cyclone that became the deadliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in recorded history, as well as the second-costliest tropical cyclone on record outside of the North Atlantic Basin (after Typhoon Doksuri). Forming as a low-pressure system around 4 September 2023, the storm affected Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey with extensive flooding. The storm then organized as a Mediterranean low and was designated as Storm Daniel. It soon acquired quasi-tropical characteristics and moved toward the coast of Libya, where it caused catastrophic flooding caused by the collapse of two dams, Derna and Mansour, resulting in the flooding of the Wadi Derna river causing catastrophic damage to the city of Derna. After collapsing the two dams, Storm Daniel degenerated into a remnant low. The storm was the result of an omega block; a high-pressure zone sandwiched between two zones of low pressure, with the isobars shaping like the Greek letter omega (Ω).
In Greece, severe rainfall led to flooding that caused more than two billion euros in damage, making it the most costly recorded storm for the country. Libya was hit the hardest, with torrential rains causing two dams near the city of Derna to fail. This resulted in over 5,900 deaths and 7,000 injuries, with at least 8,000 others missing. Libya's vulnerability to such disasters was blamed on its civil war, which damaged critical infrastructure and left it in poor condition before the storm. In the aftermath, several countries along the Mediterranean Sea pledged to provide aid to affected countries.
An area of low pressure developed over the Ionian Sea with its surface temperature within the range of tropical transition. On 4 September 2023, it moved inland over the Balkan Peninsula which led to torrential rains, notably over the Thessaly region. The system became a Mediterranean cyclone the following day, and was named Storm Daniel by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service. Daniel transitioned into a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone on 9 September. During the following days, the system moved southeastward, peaking as a tropical storm with winds recorded by instruments on Metop at 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph).
The storm made landfall near the city of Benghazi in Libya on 10 September. Daniel went east and continued inland before degenerating into a low pressure-area later on, with the storm dissipating by 12 September. Climate warming may also have influenced mid-latitude atmospheric blocking in the summer, which resulted in Storm Daniel and another cold-core low that caused flooding in Spain.
Storm Daniel was regarded by researchers from Yale University as the deadliest single flood event to hit Africa in recorded history, with its death toll surpassing flooding in Algeria that killed 3,000 in 1927. It was also regarded as the deadliest storm globally since at least Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
On 5 September, flooding in Thessaly, Greece, killed at least one person. On the same day, the village of Zagora received 759 millimetres (29.9 in) of rain, 55 times more than the country's average rainfall for the same month. Portaria also recorded a new rainfall record of 884 mm (34.8 in). Further rainfall could not be measured because the weather station subsequently failed. On 6 September, the Krafsidonas river, which rises at Pelion, overflowed its banks in Volos and destroyed a bridge and a nursing home, while dragging cars, buses, trees, and other debris along its path.
On 7 September, the main motorway between Athens and Thessaloniki was closed and train services between the two cities were suspended. In Thessaly, over 800 people had to be rescued amidst collapsed buildings and bridges and submerged villages. In Larissa, after the rains ended on 8 September, water continued to rise as the Pineios river overflowed its banks to reach a level of 9.5 metres (31 ft), compared to the normal level of 4 m (13 ft). In the Vale of Tempe, the water level rose to about 18 m (59 ft), reaching the level of a suspension bridge.[citation needed]
Storm Daniel turned many villages in the low-lying area of Karditsa, in the mainland Thessaly plain, into a lake. Towns and villages affected were Palamas, Proastio, Agia Triada, Megala Kalyvia and Kalogriana that were blocked from water.
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Storm Daniel
Storm Daniel, also known as Cyclone Daniel, was an erratic, weak but catastrophic tropical cyclone that became the deadliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in recorded history, as well as the second-costliest tropical cyclone on record outside of the North Atlantic Basin (after Typhoon Doksuri). Forming as a low-pressure system around 4 September 2023, the storm affected Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey with extensive flooding. The storm then organized as a Mediterranean low and was designated as Storm Daniel. It soon acquired quasi-tropical characteristics and moved toward the coast of Libya, where it caused catastrophic flooding caused by the collapse of two dams, Derna and Mansour, resulting in the flooding of the Wadi Derna river causing catastrophic damage to the city of Derna. After collapsing the two dams, Storm Daniel degenerated into a remnant low. The storm was the result of an omega block; a high-pressure zone sandwiched between two zones of low pressure, with the isobars shaping like the Greek letter omega (Ω).
In Greece, severe rainfall led to flooding that caused more than two billion euros in damage, making it the most costly recorded storm for the country. Libya was hit the hardest, with torrential rains causing two dams near the city of Derna to fail. This resulted in over 5,900 deaths and 7,000 injuries, with at least 8,000 others missing. Libya's vulnerability to such disasters was blamed on its civil war, which damaged critical infrastructure and left it in poor condition before the storm. In the aftermath, several countries along the Mediterranean Sea pledged to provide aid to affected countries.
An area of low pressure developed over the Ionian Sea with its surface temperature within the range of tropical transition. On 4 September 2023, it moved inland over the Balkan Peninsula which led to torrential rains, notably over the Thessaly region. The system became a Mediterranean cyclone the following day, and was named Storm Daniel by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service. Daniel transitioned into a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone on 9 September. During the following days, the system moved southeastward, peaking as a tropical storm with winds recorded by instruments on Metop at 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph).
The storm made landfall near the city of Benghazi in Libya on 10 September. Daniel went east and continued inland before degenerating into a low pressure-area later on, with the storm dissipating by 12 September. Climate warming may also have influenced mid-latitude atmospheric blocking in the summer, which resulted in Storm Daniel and another cold-core low that caused flooding in Spain.
Storm Daniel was regarded by researchers from Yale University as the deadliest single flood event to hit Africa in recorded history, with its death toll surpassing flooding in Algeria that killed 3,000 in 1927. It was also regarded as the deadliest storm globally since at least Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
On 5 September, flooding in Thessaly, Greece, killed at least one person. On the same day, the village of Zagora received 759 millimetres (29.9 in) of rain, 55 times more than the country's average rainfall for the same month. Portaria also recorded a new rainfall record of 884 mm (34.8 in). Further rainfall could not be measured because the weather station subsequently failed. On 6 September, the Krafsidonas river, which rises at Pelion, overflowed its banks in Volos and destroyed a bridge and a nursing home, while dragging cars, buses, trees, and other debris along its path.
On 7 September, the main motorway between Athens and Thessaloniki was closed and train services between the two cities were suspended. In Thessaly, over 800 people had to be rescued amidst collapsed buildings and bridges and submerged villages. In Larissa, after the rains ended on 8 September, water continued to rise as the Pineios river overflowed its banks to reach a level of 9.5 metres (31 ft), compared to the normal level of 4 m (13 ft). In the Vale of Tempe, the water level rose to about 18 m (59 ft), reaching the level of a suspension bridge.[citation needed]
Storm Daniel turned many villages in the low-lying area of Karditsa, in the mainland Thessaly plain, into a lake. Towns and villages affected were Palamas, Proastio, Agia Triada, Megala Kalyvia and Kalogriana that were blocked from water.
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