Nearly each year usually in the fall period, when the Mediterranean Sea is still warm, a depression system comes to develop the characteristics of a tropical storm, with cloud patterns wrapped around an eye, intense thunderstorm activity, strong winds at sea level surface and a higher groundlevel temperature within the clouds than outside. This type of storm might possibly intensify into a tropical storm, also called a “Mediterranean hurricane” or medicane.
Xandra is the second tropical-like mediterranean storm after Qendresa who hit hard the island of Lampedusa on november 7. It is the first time in ten years that two systems occur within a month of each other. With a minimum pressure of 992 hPa, Xandra on her course across the Mediterranean Sea has been delivering heavy rainfall to Portugal and most of Spain, affected parts of Morocco, triggered flash floods in south east France before finally hitting the italian coast near from the area of Rome.
As for the waves, forecasts never stopped changing during the two weeks before. After a couple days of wonky east swell, rain and strong winds, a clean four to six foot south swell finally hit on december 01 mid afternoon. It was not Indo perfection on this tricky shorebreak but glad I was free for the short two hours window before the backwash finally ruined it.
However it looks like the models are turning on again, showing bright colors we’ve never seen before. More is yet to come?