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#Repost @noaasatellites (@get_repost) ・・・ You don't see this too often. NASA's Terra MODIS satellite and NOAA/NASA's Suomi NPP captured this imagery of an unusual tropical-like storm system in the Mediterranean Sea intensifying off of Italy's southern coast. The images show a well-defined eyewall as the storm entered the Ionian Sea between Italy and Greece. Named #Numa by the Free University of Berlin's Institute of Meteorology, the storm has caused heavy rainfall and deadly flooding in Greece and parts of the Balkans. Media are reporting the storm is now the deadliest weather event to hit Greece in four decades. Numa is what's known as a "medicane," a nickname for low pressure systems in the Mediterranean Sea that resemble tropical cyclones or even weak hurricanes. But because the Mediterranean is a relatively shallow body of water surrounded by numerous land peninsulas, tropical storms usually have a hard time developing in the region. As a result, Numa is considered a hybrid storm with both tropical and subtropical characteristics. Unlike true tropical cyclones, Medicanes have lower wind speeds and are significantly smaller in diameter. Yet they can still cause quite a lot damage. In November 2011, a similar storm in the Mediterranean dumped more than two feet of rain over parts of southern France and Italy, causing widespread flooding and claiming about a dozen lives. For more satellite-related imagery, visit our website! Link in our bio. #weather #space #science #noaa #imageoftheday #picoftheday #weatheriscool #italy #greece