A Med-Cane off Italy today ?

[Alexandre Aguiar]

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/9165/medicane2203tw0.th.jpg (http://img118.imageshack.us/my.php?image=medicane2203tw0.jpg)

Picture from NASA

[Bill Hark]

That is a very interesting picture. I have heard of hurricane-like storms in that area but I don't know if they have true hurricane structure. Below is link to some other storm images from the Mediterranean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_tropical_cyclone

Maybe some with more tropical cyclone experience can explain these systems.

Bill Hark

[cdcollura]

These occur occasionally.

They are a variant of a "polar vortex" or PL (polar low).

These are caused by cold air over relatively warm water ... But are much "shallower" in depth of convection than true tropical systems.