Extreme weather front IANOS reached the sea region between Sicily and Peloponnese early on Thursday and is beginning to intensify. According to the Athens National Observatory it is taking on the characteristics of Mediterranean hurricane. a Medicane.
Atmospheric pressure at the center of IANOS was approximately 1,000 hPa and expected to drop to 990 hPa by Thursday evening.
Several satellites estimate that winds have reached speed of 65 km per hour or up to 8 on the Beaufort scale.
According to the latest forecast, the Medicane will move in the direction of the central and south Ionian Sea and northwestern Peloponnese, arriving early on Friday,
Its subsequent course is at this point unknown, with the most probable scenario forecasting that it will move south-east.
Apart from the high precipitation levels, IANOS will bring scattered storms, strong winds that in some case will reach the levels of a tempest -over 10 Beaufort – and very high waves of a height over 10 meters at sea.
Winds gusts are forecast to reach 12 Beaufort.
Live Course of Medicane IANOS
The areas that are expected to be mostly affected by Ianos are the Ionian islands and the Peloponnese. According to latest information, the weather phenomena will be milder in eastern parts of Greece, including Athens and Attica.
Medicane IANOS is forecast to strike Greece on Thursday afternoon and rage over the country until early morning hours of Sunday.
According to reports from Ilia, SW Peloponnese, and the island of Zakynthos the weather has already started to deteriorate with high sea, strong winds and rainfalls as of 1:00 p.m. local time.
The meteorologist of Skai TV said at 2:15 p.m. that winds in the Ionian Sea are blowingwith intensity of 9-10 Beaufort.
Greece’s National Meteorological Service and the Civil Protection have issued RED ALERTs.
Click HERE to see the Red Alerts and the regions that will be mostly affected by Medicane IANOS.
