Storm Daniel
Quick Summary
Storm Daniel was a powerful Mediterranean cyclone that brought catastrophic flooding to eastern Libya on September 10-11, 2023. The storm, characterized by heavy rains and strong winds, also caused damage in Greece, Bulgaria, and western Turkey shortly before impacting Libya.1
In Libya, the storm's rains led to the collapse of two dams upstream from the city of Derna. This resulted in a massive torrent of water and mud that destroyed approximately 25 percent of the city, killing over 4,000 people and leaving thousands more missing.1
Meteorologists referred to Daniel as a "medicane" due to its resemblance to a tropical storm. Its intensity was amplified by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the Mediterranean. Climate change is believed to have played a significant role in increasing the storm's intensity, making such extreme rainfall events far more likely.1
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