How do we explain the brutal floods affecting the country?

More than 10,000 people are missing in Libya as floods cause massive damage. How can we explain this devastating phenomenon?

At least 5,000 dead and 10,000 missing. This is the initial assessment after the violent floods that struck the city of Derna in the northeast of the country. Destroyed buildings, mud torrents, and underwater streets…the pictures shook the whole world. France also announced “providing emergency aid” to the victims.

This dramatic event is directly related to the storm Daniel. This Mediterranean subtropical cyclone struck Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria a week ago before heading towards Libya. This storm is mistaken for an “Omega blockage” due to its shape similar to the Greek letter Ω.

Moving phenomenon

It is characterized by an anticyclone in the centre, with extremely high temperatures, which have plagued France for several days. On the outskirts we find heavy rain and cold temperatures.

“The dynamics of the Iberian cold depression are impressive, which explains the heavy rainfall in Spain and the associated floods. The same is true for Turkey and Greece,” climatologist Christophe Cassot explained on September 4 when these countries were affected. The same phenomenon has since spread to Libya.

Impact of climate change?

The National Meteorological Center in Libya said that the storm reached its peak in northeastern Libya on September 10, with strong winds reaching a maximum speed of 70 to 80 kilometers per hour. Heavy rainfall averaged between 150 to 2,400 mm per hour, with up to 414 mm of rain locally, a record high.

Omega bans are nothing new. But the severity of this phenomenon raises the question about the impact of climate change. In general, the Mediterranean region is one of the regions where the impacts of climate change are most severe, as the region is warming faster than the global average.

According to climate scientist David Veranda, who interviewed… the worldThis hurricane is considered “normal in a warm climate” ranging between three and four degrees. gold, Analysis published on Tuesday It confirms that temperatures recorded in France and the United Kingdom were 2 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal.

to’World Meteorological Organization For its part, it warns that these violent events, such as the fires that Greece witnessed earlier in the summer, are likely to be repeated. “As the planet warms, we are expected to see more extreme precipitation, leading to more extreme flooding, as warmer air retains more moisture,” the organization said.

Additionally, as it moved toward Libya, Storm Daniel developed “characteristics of a hurricane,” a contraction of “hurricane” and “Mediterranean.” This hybrid phenomenon has some characteristics of a tropical cyclone and other characteristics of a mid-latitude storm.